Category: Politics

COLOMBO, Nov 20, 2006 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s Tamil Tiger rebels Monday scoffed a government offer to send supplies to the besieged Jaffna peninsula as a “political gimmick” aimed at appeasing the international community. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) said they had no formal word from the government about its offer to send […]

Nov 19, 2006 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapakse came to power promising a new approach to peace.But as he marks the end of his first year in office Sunday, the country continues to be wracked by violence, pushing its defence budget to a record high. The International Monetary Fund warned last week the […]

COLOMBO, Nov 19, 2006 (AFP) – At least 35 people died in weekend sea, air and land battles between Sri Lanka’s Tamil Tiger rebels and security forces, according to claims by both sides Sunday.The Sri Lankan navy said it killed at least 15 Tiger guerrillas after sinking three craft off the island’s northwest coast on […]

November 18, (LBO) – The convention of the main opposition in Sri Lanka went ahead without the rebel faction led by its deputy leader being present, deepening the divisions within the party, United National Party sources said.Three rebels last week lost a court challenge which questioned a decision by a top party body not to […]

COLOMBO, Nov 19, 2006 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s main media rights group Sunday expressed concern over a death threat against a Tamil television host after a show in which he discussed the assassination of a Tamil legislator.The Free Media Movement said television talk show host J.Sri Ranga was told of the death threat after he […]

Nov 18, 2006 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s navy and Tamil Tiger rebels Saturday claimed they had sunk each others’ craft in a sea battle off the northwestern coast as seven people were killed following a mine blast elsewhere. The island’s northeastern seaboard is a vital supply route for security forces and civilians in Jaffna. The […]

Nov 17, 2006 (AFP) – Sri Lankan troops killed at least 18 Tamil Tiger guerrillas in three separate confrontations in a restive eastern province, the defence ministry said Friday. An upsurge in fighting in the past year in the island’s separatist conflict has claimed more than 3,300 lives. The clashes were in the district of […]

Nov 16, 2006 (AFP) – A British envoy was holding talks with Sri Lanka’s Tiger rebels Thursday to help salvage a faltering peace initiative, while in the capital the president wooed moderate Tamils, officials said.British MP Paul Murphy toured the violence-hit port city of Trincomalee Wednesday and began talks with Tamil Tiger guerrillas at the […]

Nov 16, 2006 (AFP) – A New York-based rights group asked Sri Lanka’s government Thursday to arrest security force members allegedly involved in forcibly recruiting child soldiers on behalf of a Tamil rebel faction. Human Rights Watch said its investigations supported the findings of a top UN official who charged Monday that Sri Lankan security […]

Nov 16, 2006 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s president appealed to Tiger rebels Thursday to enter talks and end spiralling violence on the island as a British envoy moved to jumpstart stalled peace efforts. The deficit of 235 billion rupees (2.18 billion dollars) is to be financed mainly through domestic and foreign borrowings. Please click to […]

NEW DELHI, Nov 16, 2006 (AFP) – India’s prime minister has expressed deep concern over rising civilian deaths in Sri Lanka’s ethnic conflict, saying there was no justification for the violence, the Press Trust of India reported.Manmohan Singh, in a letter to the chief minister of southern Tamil Nadu state M. Karunanidhi, said he planned […]

JAFFNA, Sri Lanka, Nov 15, 2006 (AFP) – Slain Tamil legislator Nadarajah Raviraj was cremated at his home district of Jaffna in northern Sri Lanka Wednesday as supporters shut businesses to protest his assassination.Raviraj, 44, was cremated at the Chavakachcheri cemetery while heavily armed security forces kept a low profile along the funeral procession from […]