Category: Politics

MUHAMALAI, Sri Lanka, May 23, 2006 (AFP) – A narrow strip of land in Sri Lanka’s northern peninsula of Jaffna is a flashpoint that could ignite a new war in the country, according to senior military commanders. “Tension is very high, very high,” the officer told AFP on Monday.“Anytime, this can accelerate.” In the past […]

KILINOCHCHI, Sri Lanka, May 23, 2006 (AFP) – Peacebroker Norway is “extremely concerned” about the high level of violence in Sri Lanka, Oslo’s ambassador said Tuesday after meeting a top Tamil guerrilla leader. “We are extremely concerned and I think it’s very important that international and diplomatic attention continues to be on the high levels […]

COLOMBO, May 23, 2006 (AFP) – The European Union on Tuesday demanded action against those responsible for bombing three international charities operating in Sri Lanka’s embattled northeast. The EU said the Sri Lankan government must demonstrate its commitment to ending a “culture of impunity” by bringing to justice those responsible for Sunday’s grenade attacks which […]

May 23, 2006 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s Tamil Tiger rebels Tuesday rejected a call by Buddhist and Christian clergy for a direct meet between the president and the guerrilla leader in a bid to end decades of ethnic bloodshed. The rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) said they told a delegation of priests that […]

KILINOCHCHI, Sri Lanka, May 22, 2006 (AFP) – The European Union’s “shocking” move towards blacklisting Sri Lanka’s Tamil Tigers will push the peace process to a critical stage, the head of the rebels’ political wing said in an interview with AFP.The EU agreed in principle late Thursday to ban the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam […]

May 22, 2006 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s Tamil Tiger rebels on Monday accused government forces of killing a senior field commander in the island’s restive eastern region at the weekend, a pro-rebel website said.The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) said their chief intelligence operative in the region — identified as Ramanan — was gunned […]

May 22, 2006 (AFP) – A United Nations agency Monday condemned the bombing of international aid agencies in Sri Lanka and said it was appalled by the continuing “despicable attacks”. The UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sri Lanka said grenade attacks on three non-governmental organisations in the Trincomalee district Sunday injured one international staff […]

JAFFNA, Sri Lanka, May 22, 2006 (AFP) – An elderly Sri Lankan fisherman described Monday how gunmen shot dead six members of his family on a navy-controlled northern Sri Lankan islet and left him wounded in both legs.The man, 61, lies on a hospital bed at the Jaffna Teaching Hospital with white bandages around both […]

May 22, 2006 (AFP) – Sri Lanka was banking on the European Union to tame Tamil Tiger guerrillas as the rebels warned that the killing of their top intelligence operative could force them into a “major war.” Scandinavian truce monitors have said that the February 2002 truce now existed only on paper.The rebel Liberation Tigers […]

May 21, 2006 (AFP) – The chief negotiator for Sri Lanka’s Tamil Tiger rebels warned Sunday that an imminent European ban on the group could scuttle future peace negotiations, as artillery duels continued in front-line regions.London-based Anton Balasingham said the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam would retreat from talks with the government if they are […]