Category: Politics

June 9, 2006 (AFP) – Norway was reconsidering its peacebroker role Friday as Tiger rebels aborted talks and demanded the removal of ceasefire monitors from European Union member states.On Thursday, at least 19 people were reported killed across the troubled northern and eastern regions, pushing the death toll since December to more than 680. The […]

OSLO, June 9, 2006 (AFP) – Norway on Friday blamed the European Union for contributing to a breakdown in talks between Sri Lanka and Tamil Tigers which has thrown the question of further Norwegian mediation wide open.The rebels on Thursday aborted a two-day meeting in Oslo with Colombo representatives arranged by Norway to discuss the […]

June 9, 2006 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s government, under pressure for allegedly backing a breakaway Tamil rebel faction, on Friday accused Scandinavian truce monitors of partiality and said they lacked professionalism.The government in a four-page statement lambasted the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) and also accused its chief, Swedish army Major General Ulf Henricsson, of […]

LONDON, June 8, 2006 (AFP) – Sri Lanka is looking to Pakistan for help to bolster its military capabilities as the ceasefire between the government and rebels appears increasingly fragile, specialist publication Jane’s Defence Weekly said Thursday. Sri Lanka has asked Pakistan to facilitate the purchase of military equipment worth around 60 million dollars (47 […]

OSLO, June 8, 2006 (AFP) – Norwegian officials meeting Sri Lanka government representatives and Tamil Tigers rebels said on Thursday the talks broke down when they failed to orchestrate a face-to-face encounter between the two sides.Peacebroker Norway called the two-day talks amid fears for the safety of the 60-member Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), which […]

COLOMBO, June 8, 2006 (AFP) – Suspected Tamil Tiger rebels set off a mine in northern Sri Lanka Thursday, killing an army officer, and clashed with a rival faction elsewhere leaving at least 15 dead, military officials said. There was no immediate comments from the Tigers about military claims of internecine clashes. On Wednesday, eight […]

June 8, 2006 (AFP) – Violence surged in Sri Lanka with at last 16 people reported killed Thursday hours before talks opened in Oslo between the Colombo government and Tiger rebels on their collapsing truce, officials said.Defence officials said the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) set off a powerful Claymore mine in northern […]

OSLO, June 8, 2006 (AFP) – Norwegian officials meeting with Sri Lanka government representatives and Tamil Tigers rebels said on Thursday talks broke down when they failed to bring about a face-to-face encounter between the two sides. Peace broker Norway called the two-day talks amid fears for the safety of the 60-member Sri Lanka Monitoring […]

June 7, 2006 (AFP) – Sri Lanka has stepped up security after bomb blasts near the capital raised fears of more attacks, police said Wednesday, as the warring parties prepared for a face-to-face meeting in Oslo. A truce was put in place in February 2002, but an upsurge in violence has claimed at least 650 […]

June 7, 2006 (AFP) – Suspected government troops carried out a bomb attack inside rebel-held territory Wednesday, killing at least five civilians and wounding 14, Tiger guerrillas said. The rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) said government troops had carried out the bomb attack against a vehicle transporting civilians. “This is the largest attack […]

COLOMBO, June 6, 2006 (AFP) – Suspected Tamil rebels exploded bombs outside a naval base near Sri Lanka’s capital Tuesday, wounding two people while three others were killed in a similar attack elsewhere, the military said.More than 60,000 people have been killed in the island’s separatist conflict since 1972 and four previous peace bids have […]