Tag: lbo
‘s protest over war crimes panel
June 17, 2010 (AFP) – The United Nations will set up a panel to probe war crimes in Sri Lanka despite repeated protests from the island’s hawkish government, a top UN envoy announced in Colombo on Thursday. Sri Lanka has named a “lessons learnt” panel to study issues that led to conflict, but it has […]
Sri Lanka marks Tiger defeat amid probe pressure
June 18, 2010 (AFP) – Sri Lanka staged a delayed victory parade Friday to mark the first anniversary of the end of its 37-year civil war as pressure mounted for a probe into alleged crimes committed during the fighting. President Mahinda Rajapakse took the salute at the ceremony attended by thousands of troops drawn from […]
Gas Bid
June 17, 2010 (LBO) – The Sri Lankan government wants to buy back the stake in the Shell Gas unit in the island that had been sold to the multinational in a privatization exercise several years ago, a spokesman said. The state-run Bank of Ceylon has been made an advisor to a committee that will […]
Japan seeks transparency in Sri Lanka after war
June 16, 2010 (AFP) – A visiting Japanese envoy said Wednesday that Sri Lanka must ensure an open and fair process to address grievances of minority Tamils after the end of the civil war last year. “We expect our reconciliation commission to address all issues to the conflict as part of our healing process. ” […]
Disaster Drill
June 16, 2010 (LBO) – Oil exploration disasters are likely to continue in future as energy continues to dig deeper in the Ocean for petroleum products an analyst warned in Colombo, as Sri Lanka prepares for submarine drilling. “The hunger of energy and the need for energy is still on the rise and in the […]
Top UN official to visit Sri Lanka this week
UNITED NATIONS, June 14, 2010 (AFP) – UN chief Ban Ki-moon’s top political adviser will visit Sri Lanka this week to discuss political reconciliation, resettlement of minority Tamils displaced by ethnic strife and human rights, a spokesman said Monday. The world body estimates that up to 100,000 people died in Sri Lanka’s Tamil separatist conflict […]
Sri Lanka general urges political solution to Tamil strife
June 11, 2010 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s army chief on Friday called for a political settlement to the island’s decades-long ethnic strife, a year after the Tamil Tiger rebels were defeated in a major military offensive. Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya warned that although the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) were crushed following the […]
Sri Lanka moves to allow president to run again
June 11, 2010 (AFP) – The Sri Lankan government has approved lifting the two-term limit for presidents in a move that would allow incumbent Mahinda Rajapakse to run for office again, an official said Friday. Rajapakse, 64, came to power in 2005 and has increased his firm grip on power since defeating the separatist Tamil […]
‘ trust
June 7, 2010 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapakse urged Tamil leaders on Monday to trust him and help resolve outstanding problems following the country’s civil war, warning he would not bow to terrorism. Rajapakse told the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) party, formerly a front for the defeated Tamil Tiger rebels, that he was […]
Oberoi urges film world not to skip Sri Lanka Bollywood Oscars
June 1, 2010 (AFP) – Bollywood actor Vivek Oberoi on Tuesday urged the Indian film fraternity to attend the annual awards festival in Sri Lanka despite protests from pro-Tamil rebel lobbies. “Come to Colombo. I don’t believe in boycotting the awards. Bollywood films are about building bridges, not putting up walls against people,” Oberoi told […]
Tamils protest as Bollywood goes to Sri Lanka
MUMBAI, June 1, 2010 (AFP) – Bollywood goes to Sri Lanka later this week for its glitzy annual awards ceremony, but the decision to hold the event in the capital Colombo has sparked a backlash from minority Tamils in India. The International Indian Film Academy (IIFA), which has been held overseas every year since 2000, […]
Sri Lanka needs international probe: UN rights chief
GENEVA, May 31, 2010 (AFP) – The United Nations human rights chief maintained Monday that Sri Lanka needed an international probe into the government’s final offensive against Tamil Tiger rebels last year. Navi Pillay, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, noted that the Sri Lanka government had created a post-war reconciliation commission to look […]