Category: Politics

April 29, 2007 (LBO) – Fire engines were called to put out a fire in a gas terminal complex north of Colombo following a suspected Tamil Tiger aircraft air raid, officials said. . Updated Shell Gas’s media manager, Chamani Herath Pathirage told AFP that there had been an explosion in their facilities and buildings had […]

April 29, 2007 (AFP) – A Shell building in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo caught fire early Sunday following a suspected aeriel attack by Tamil Tigers, an official with the energy group said.Shell, which acquired a 51 percent stake in the state-owned Colombo Gas Company when it was privatised in 1995 for 37 million dollars, […]

April 28, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lankan police and security forces sealed off the capital on Saturday, searching every vehicle entering and leaving the city amid fears of a Tamil Tiger attack, officials said. Huge traffic jams were reported at every entry point to Colombo with motorists spending several hours before they could be allowed […]

April 28, 2007 (AFP) – A pro-government Tamil militant group is holding at least 194 child soldiers despite promises it would free underage combatants, UNICEF said Saturday. The UN agency for children said the Tamil Tiger faction known as the “Karuna group” was failing to honour its public promises not to recruit child soldiers. Out […]

April 27, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lankan troops fearing a rebel attack fired anti-aircraft weapons and evacuated passengers from the international airport here late Thursday, an official said. Go to our front page www.lbo.lk for updates on this event. Latest – Katunayake civillian airport re-opens Sri Lankan troops fired anti-aircraft weapons, evacuated passengers and briefly […]

COLOMBO, April 27, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lanka was on high alert Friday over the threat of another Tamil Tiger air attack, the morning after a suspicious aircraft forced the closure of the island’s only international airport. “We are on alert. In fact, every day we are on alert now and we have beefed up […]

April 26, 2007 (LBO) – The United States has charged a senior representative of the Tamil Tigers for supporting a foreign terrorist organization, the US embassy in Colombo said in a statement Thursday. If the charges are proved, the defendant Karunakara Kandasamy also known as ‘Karuna’ faces a maximum sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment. œAs […]

April 26, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s surge into cricket’s World Cup final this weekend has raised hopes of a peace dividend on an island united by sport but divided by conflict, even if no one is showing long-term optimism.Cricket is hugely popular in Sri Lanka and is seen as one of the few things […]

April 25, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse will fly to Barbados to cheer the national team in the cricket World Cup final later this week, a senior aide said on Wednesday. “It is almost certain that the president will leave on Thursday at the invitation of the Prime Minister of Barbados,” said […]

COLOMBO, April 25, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lanka Wednesday vowed to destroy the Tamil Tigers’ air capability, a day after the guerrillas killed six soldiers and wounded 13 in a bombing of a key military base.The Sri Lankan air force said that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) had used a single aircraft to […]

VIENNA, April 25, 2007 (AFP) – A media watchdog on Wednesday described 2006 as the “most savage and brutal” year on record for journalists with 100 media professionals killed across the world. It was a “war on journalism,” said Johann Fritz, director of the International Press Institute. “With 100 journalists killed, 2006 was the most […]

April 24, 2007 (AFP) – Tamil Tiger rebels said they carried out their second-ever air attack on Sri Lankan government troops on Tuesday, a claim that was immediately denied by the military. The government on Monday asked peace broker Norway to put off a visit to rebel-held territory by their ambassador, citing security considerations. Two […]