Category: Politics

COLOMBO, June 2, 2006 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s president launched talks with opposition parties Friday to hammer out a plan to grant autonomy to separatist Tamil rebels as the United States warned against a return to full-scale war. The meeting with major parties of the majority Sinhalese community was underway to agree a path to […]

June 2, 2006 (AFP) – Sri Lanka moved closer Friday to granting more autonomy to minority Tamils under a new initiative backed by the opposition, as the United States warned against a return to full-scale war on the island.“Even though we will be having second or third-level talks in Oslo next week, the signal it […]

HONG KONG, June 1, 2006 (AFP) – Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse Thursday called on more countries to follow the lead of the European Union and label the Tamil Tigers as a terrorist organization.In an opinion piece in the Asian Wall Street Journal, Rajapakse said foreign governments should do more to stop the flow of […]

June 1, 2006 (AFP) – An office of a Tamil political party was bombed in Sri Lanka’s restive eastern province and two party activists were gunned down elsewhere Thursday, the military said.The office of the pro-government Eelam People’s Democratic Party (EPDP) came under attack in the town of Batticaloa, 303 kilometres (190 miles) east of […]

June 1, 2006 (AFP) – The United States Thursday pledged “tangible military cooperation” with embattled Sri Lanka, but warned the government here against a return to war with Tamil Tiger rebels.Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian affairs, Richard Boucher, said they will strengthen military ties with Sri Lanka, but worried that the […]

June 1, 2006 (AFP) – Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse urged political parties Thursday to develop a plan that involves giving some power to minority Tamils in exchange for peace, his office said.Rajapakse said he has asked majority Sinhalese political parties meeting here Friday to come up a plan to end violence with Tamil Tiger […]

May 31, 2006 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s media Wednesday reacted to the European ban on Tamil Tiger rebels largely along ethnic lines, but all agreed that the proscription should not lead to renewed war.Newspapers intended mainly for the island’s majority Sinhalese community welcomed the European Union ban Monday on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam […]

KUALA LUMPUR, May 31, 2006 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s Tamil Tiger rebels are believed to be channeling funds through Malaysia and Singapore to buy weapons in the region, Sri Lanka’s foreign minister said according to a report Wednesday. Mangala Samaraweera said in an interview with the New Straits Times that he had informed his Malaysian […]

May 31, 2006 (AFP) – Heavy artillery exchanges rocked northern Sri Lanka Wednesday, a day after the government ruled out military action to resolve a long-running ethnic conflict following a European ban on Tiger rebels.More than 600 people have been killed in Sri Lanka since December despite a truce arranged and put in place by […]

COLOMBO, May 31, 2006 (AFP) – The European Union, which earlier in the week banned Sri Lanka’s Tamil Tiger rebels, said Wednesday it was willing to take “further measures” to push the warring parties back to the negotiating table. A declaration by the EU presidency, currently held by Austria, said the ban on Tamil Tiger […]

BRUSSELS, May 30, 2006 (AFP) – The European Union put Sri Lanka’s Tamil Tigers on its list of terrorist groups on Monday, despite a warning from the rebels that the move could force them back to war.The EU ban, agreed in principle on May 18, was made official at a meeting of ministers from the […]

TOKYO, May 30, 2006 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s key foreign aid donors warned the government and Tamil Tiger rebels Tuesday that they must take steps to end growing unrest or risk losing international support. Donors led by Japan pledged 4.5 billion dollars in 2003 as an incentive for the island to end three decades of […]