Category: Politics

July 8, 2007 (AFP) – Tamil Tiger rebels said Sunday they lost two fighters during a three-hour sea battle with the Sri Lankan Navy off the island’s eastern coast.The statement came after the defence ministry said three rebels were shot dead by naval troops in the nearby eastern coastal town of Trincomalee on Saturday. “Three […]

COLOMBO, July 8, 2007 (AFP) – A blast was heard near Sri Lanka’s only international airport Sunday, residents said.Police said they were investigating an “incident” inside the military air base, which shares a runway with the Bandaranaike international airport. No further details were immediately available. Tamil Tiger rebels have carried out attacks against the military […]

July 8, 2007 (AFP) – Four airmen were seriously injured Sunday after a canon was activated on a jet fighter near the island’s only international airport, officials said.Tiger rebels have carried out attacks against the military base as well as the civilian airport, located just north of the capital Colombo. The war plane was being […]

July 7, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lankan troops have killed three suspected Tamil Tiger rebels in the island’s embattled north and east, the defence ministry said on Saturday.More than 60,000 people have been killed since the conflict erupted in 1972.Two Tamil Tiger rebels were killed in northern Vavuniya district on Friday during clashes with government […]

July 7, 2007 (AFP) – Fifteen Tamil Tiger rebels were shot dead as they fled from troops on tractors, the Sri Lankan government said on Saturday, while four people were killed elsewhere in the embattled island.More than 60,000 people have been killed since the conflict erupted in 1972.The number of dead in violence on Friday […]

July 5, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lanka was on high alert Thursday as Tamil Tiger rebels commemorated the 322 male and female suicide bombers who have blown themselves up for the guerrilla cause over the last two decades. The Tamil Tigers are fighting for an independent homeland for the minority ethnic Tamils on the majority […]

WASHINGTON, July 3, 2007 (AFP) – About 50 US lawmakers have written to President George W.Bush asking him to step up American efforts to help resolve the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka.“The United States has the opportunity to serve as a leader” in renewed international efforts to bring about a peaceful resolution to the conflict, […]

July 4, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lankan air force jets on Wednesday carried out a second straight day of bombing raids against Tamil Tiger rebels positioned in jungles in the east of the island, the military said. The raids were part of a months-old effort aimed at dislodging the ethnic rebels from their hideouts in […]

July 3, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lankan security forces are on high alert as Tamil Tiger rebels this week mark the 20th anniversary of their first-ever suicide attack with the threat of unleashing more deadly strikes.“We are also seeking public cooperation for information regarding suspicious activity in their neighbourhoods.” The island’s prime minister has underlined […]

July 3, 2007 (AFP) – Four suspected Tamil Tiger rebels and three soldiers were killed in fresh violence in Sri Lanka’s embattled north, military officials said Tuesday. There was no immediate comment from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, who have been locked in combat with the government since 1972 in a conflict that has […]

July 2, 2007 (LBO) – The UK mission in Colombo will become more involved in Sri Lanka’s peace process after being asked represent the European Union’s Presidency in the country, the British High Commission said Monday. The rotating EU presidency has shifted to Portugal took over the EU presidency, but the country does not have […]

July 1, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s government has asked Norway to help revive a moribund peace process amid an escalation of fighting between troops and Tamil Tiger rebels, a press report said Sunday.More than 5,000 people have been killed in the new wave of fighting since December 2005 despite a truce in place since […]