Category: Politics
‘s World Trade Centre bans cars on bomb fears
May 25, 2006 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s twin-tower World Trade Centre banned vehicles Thursday fearing a car bomb attack by Tamil separatist rebels, police and tenants of the complex said.As part of stepped-up security measures, the 39-storey office complex in the heart of Colombo blocked all vehicles from entering, Colombo’s police chief Pujith Jayasundara said. […]
EU ban on Tamil Tigers will help peace talks: Sri Lankan president
LONDON, May 25, 2006 (AFP) – An impending European ban on the Tamil Tiger rebels will leave the group with little choice but to engage in peace talks, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse said in an interview published here Thursday.The European Union is expected to add the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to its […]
Bomb scare in Colombo as Oslo mounts peace salvage bid
May 25, 2006 (AFP) – Deadly mine attacks and a bomb scare in Sri Lanka’s capital Thursday brought home the challenge faced by a Norwegian envoy who was set to arrive to salvage peace talks and a tattered ceasefire. Peace broker Oslo’s top envoy Erik Solheim, due to arrive Friday for talks with President Mahinda […]
Tamil people preparing for war: Sri Lankan rebel commander
May 25, 2006 (AFP) – The Tamil people are preparing for war and nobody can defeat them, a top Sri Lankan rebel military commander was quoted as saying Thursday.Colonel Jeyam, of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), was quoted by the pro-rebel Tamilnet.com website at a memorial ceremony for another senior rebel commander who […]
Three die as international concern mounts over Sri Lanka violence
May 24, 2006 (AFP) – Three security personnel died in a mine blast Wednesday, the Sri Lanka military said, as a Norwegian peace envoy arrived to salvage a collapsing ceasefire that has sparked mounting international concern.Oslo’s number two peace emissary, Jon Hanssen-Bauer, arrived Wednesday and will be joined by the country’s top peace envoy Erik […]
Narrow strip of land is Sri Lanka’s flashpoint
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 […]
Peacebroker Norway concerned about Sri Lanka violence
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 […]
EU demands action over Sri Lanka attacks
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 […]
‘s flashpoint
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 […]
Tigers turn down direct talks with Sri Lanka president
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 […]
Sri Lanka banks on Europe to tame Tigers amid ‘major war’ threat
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 […]
EU pushing Sri Lanka peace to critical stage: rebel political leader
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 […]