Category: Politics

Oct 12, 2006 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s military said Thursday 129 soldiers were killed and over 500 wounded in fighting with Tamil Tiger rebels in the island’s north on Wednesday, while claiming 200 rebels also died.The defence ministry said 55 soldiers were killed in heavy clashes along the de facto front line in the Jaffna […]

Oct 12, 2006 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s president offered cabinet posts to the main opposition on Thursday in a bid to strike a bipartisan deal to end the island’s ethnic bloodshed, his office said. The parting of the ways with the Marxists has pushed the government closer to the main opposition which has more clout […]

COLOMBO, Oct 11, 2006 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s peace broker Norway Wednesday asked the government and Tamil Tiger rebels to cease hostilities after the two parties agreed to end an eight-month deadlock in their negotiations. Norway’s top peace broker Erik Solheim welcomed the agreement between the Sri Lankan administration and the rebel Liberation Tigers of […]

Oct 11, 2006 (AFP) – At least 85 people were killed and more than 400 wounded when a new military offensive Wednesday met with ferocious resistance from Tamil Tiger rebels in northern Sri Lanka, both sides said. Intense fighting halted the government’s onslaught into rebel territory, which was backed by Israeli-built Kfir jets and naval […]

Oct 11, 2006 (AFP) – At least 75 Sri Lankan troops and 10 Tamil Tiger rebels were killed Wednesday and more than 400 soldiers wounded in a major battle in the island’s north, according to the warring parties.The military maintained that they were “compelled” to launch the offensive as a “defensive measure” to neutralise a […]

Oct 10, 2006 (AFP) – At least one soldier was killed and another wounded Tuesday in an artillery attack carried out by Tamil Tiger rebels at a de facto front line in northern Sri Lanka, defence officials said.The rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) pounded the Muhamalai defence line in the Jaffna peninsula in […]

Oct 10, 2006 (AFP) – A powerful bomb ripped through a passenger van in Sri Lanka’s embattled northern district of Vavuniya on Tuesday, killing the driver and two others, police said. The driver had stopped at his home when a device placed inside the vehicle exploded, police said, adding that two people in the victim’s […]

Oct 10, 2006 (AFP) – Tamil Tiger rebels said Tuesday they were ready to resume peace negotiations with the Sri Lankan government but would reconsider if security forces kept up attacks against them. The rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) told peace broker Norway that they agreed to two days of talks starting October […]

Oct 10, 2006 (AFP) – Sri Lanka, which is backing South Korea’s bid to secure the UN Secretary General’s post, Tuesday said it hoped that the “issue” of North Korea’s nuclear tests would be resolved diplomatically.“We express the hope that the issue will be resolved through diplomatic means,” the Sri Lankan foreign ministry said in […]

Oct 9, 2006 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s government vowed Monday to keep up an offensive against Tamil Tiger rebels until they stopped “provocative actions” as both sides traded artillery fire. After two weeks, the military regained territory lost to the rebels following intense fighting that claimed hundreds of lives of both sides. President Mahinda Rajapakse […]

Oct 8, 2006 (AFP) – Twelve Sri Lankan government soldiers were missing Sunday following fierce fighting with Tamil rebels in the east of the island that left at least seven combatants dead, the defence ministry said. There were conflicting statements on casualties from the government and the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) after […]

Oct 8, 2006 (AFP) – Foreign aid donors have demanded peace talks in Sri Lanka to avert full-scale war, but the daily bloodshed has reduced broker Norway’s ability to coax rebels and the government to the table, diplomats say.During a visit here last week, Norwegian envoy Jon Hanssen-Bauer failed to secure agreement on a venue […]