Category: Politics

Jan 8, 2008 (AFP) – Sri Lankan government minister D.M. Dassanayake died in hospital Tuesday after his convoy was hit by a powerful roadside bomb near the capital, doctors said.The minister for nation building suffered severe head injuries in the attack and died while undergoing surgery, doctor Lalini Gunasekera said. Police said a fragmentation mine […]

Jan 08, 2008 (LBO) – The European Union (EU) has stepped up pressure on Sri Lanka after the government withdrew from the truce with the Tamil Tigers, with its external relations chief calling for a peace deal that goes beyond previous “failed” offers. The EU’s Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy, Benita Ferrero-Waldner […]

Jan 7, 2008 (AFP) – Sri Lanka Monday took exception to a statement by Nordic nations which voiced distress over the situation in the Indian ocean island, where the government abrogated an Oslo-arranged truce.With fighting escalating in recent months, Colombo now believes it has the upper hand over the rebels and is in a position […]

Jan 06, 2007 (LBO) – Top donors to Sri Lanka who funded the island alongside a recently scrapped peace deal with the Tamil Tigers may meet this week to review their future course of action, a media report said. “It is likely that the Co-chairs would participate in a teleconference to review the situation that […]

Jan 6, 2008 (AFP) – Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse’s top advisor on the peace process quit Sunday, after the government scrapped an Oslo-brokered truce with Tamil Tiger rebels. Jayantha Dhanapala, a diplomat and former candidate for the post of UN secretary general who was appointed as peace advisor in December 2005, said he was […]

Jan 5, 2008 (AFP) – Sri Lanka urgently needs an international rights monitoring mission following Colombo’s decision to pull out of a ceasefire pact with Tamil rebels, a London-based rights group said Saturday.The Minority Rights Group International said Colombo’s decision to formally withdraw from the ceasefire deal with the rebels would result in escalating violence. […]

WASHINGTON, Jan 3, 2008 (AFP) – The United States on Thursday said it was “troubled” by the Sri Lankan government’s decision on Wednesday to end its 2002 truce with Tamil Tiger rebels, and urged both sides to avoid further fighting. “The United States is troubled” by the Sri Lankan government’s decision, State Department spokesman Sean […]

WASHINGTON, Jan 3, 2008 (AFP) – Human Rights Watch called Thursday for a UN human rights monitoring mission in Sri Lanka in the wake of the breakdown of the 2002 ceasefire agreement between the government and the Tamil Tiger secessionists.The New York-based group said new monitors were needed to replace the Norwegian-led Sri Lanka Monitoring […]

Jan 04, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka is looking at redefining the role of Norway in the county’s peace effort following its decision to terminate a truce with the Tamil Tigers with effect from January 16, 2008, Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama told a news conference Friday. .Updated The Sri Lankan government Thursday formally notified Norway […]

Jan 3, 2008 (AFP) – Sri Lanka announced Thursday it had given the mandatory two weeks’ notice to peace broker Norway to formally quit a ceasefire with Tamil rebels on January 16. The foreign ministry in a statement said the February 2002 ceasefire arranged by Oslo would end in two weeks, after the government on […]

Jan 03, 2007 (LBO) – The Sri Lankan government is still willing to have peace talks with Tamil Tiger rebels despite its decision to withdraw from a moribund ceasefire agreement, media minister Anura Yapa said Thursday. . The government is not against peace talks to end the ethnic war but believes it is useless to […]

Jan 3, 2008 (AFP) – A prominent Sri Lankan Tamil opposition MP who was murdered earlier this week was cremated here Thursday amid tight security and allegations that the island’s government was behind the killing.The cremation took place amid heavy fighting between government troops and Tamil Tiger rebels in northern Sri Lanka, hours after the […]