Tag: lbo

Nov 18, 2007 (AFP) – A Tamil guerrilla leader accused of involvement in war crimes is becoming a major embarrassment to Sri Lanka’s government following his arrest in Britain.Vinayagamoorthi Muralitharan, the leader of a breakaway faction of the Tamil Tigers rebel group, was detained in London earlier this month on a charge of entering the […]

CHENNAI, India, Nov 15, 2007 (AFP) – The leader of a southern Indian state is facing allegations of treason after writing a poem mourning the killing in nearby Sri Lanka of a senior rebel and fellow ethnic Tamil. M. Karunanidhi, the chief minister of Tamil Nadu state, was last week so moved by the death […]

Nov 16, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lankan warplanes carried out bombing raids on suspected Tamil Tiger targets inside rebel-held territory on Friday, the defence ministry said.The raids were aimed at a boat manufacturing facility of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the northeast, the ministry said. There were no details of casualties. Officials […]

Nov 16, 2007 (LBO) – Sri Lankan police questioned an opposition lawmaker and summoned two others Friday, drawing protests from the opposition leader, in the latest twist in political wrangling days ahead of a crucial vote on the government’s budget. United National Party (UNP) Parliamentarian Ravi Karunanayake, a businessman who was a former trade minister, […]

Nov 16, 2007 (LBO) – Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama Friday called on the international community to take action against front organizations of the Tamil Tigers after the United States froze the assets of a relief agency. “The US government becomes the first foreign government to take tangible action against an LTTE (Liberation Tigers […]

Nov 15, 2007 (LBO) – A Sri Lankan opposition party lawmaker Thursday joined the government, a day after a ruling party parliamentarian defected to the opposition. Mahinda Ratnathilake, a member of parliament for the Ratnapura district in the main opposition United National Party (UNP) crossed over to the government soon after meeting President Mahinda Rajapakse […]

Nov 15, 2007 (LBO) – A Sri Lankan junior cabinet minister Thursday lashed out at an opposition party lawmaker who joined the government, revealing more cracks in the ruling coalition ahead of a crucial budget vote next week. Minister of Justice Dilan Perera, a so-called ‘non-cabinet’ minister in President Mahinda Rajapakse’s jumbo cabinet said he […]

Nov 14, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lanka switched off electricity in the capital Colombo early Wednesday amid fears that Tamil Tiger rebels were flying their light aircraft for a possible attack, officials said.The power supply was cut off before dawn for nearly half an hour as the country’s air defence systems spotted two unidentified aircraft, […]

Nov 14, 2007 (LBO) – A Sri Lankan lawmaker who heads a parliamentary committee overseeing state enterprises that has been probing corruption allegations, crossed over to opposition benches Wednesday. Wijedasa Rajapaksa, while requesting the speaker for a seat in the opposition benches, also said he would remain a member of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party […]

Nov 14, 2007 (LBO) – A Sri Lankan government lawmaker who crossed over to the opposition benches Wednesday is demanding the dismissal of cabinet ministers and bureaucrats against whom a parliamentary committee headed by him made allegations of corruption. Parliamentarian Wijeyadasa Rajapaksa said that he has set seven conditions for the government to meet in […]

Nov 12, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lankan troops shot dead at least six women fighters of the Tamil Tigers during a clash in the north of the island, the defence ministry said Monday.Following an attack on a bunker line of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) along the de facto front line with guerrilla-held […]

Nov 11, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lanka and Tamil Tiger rebels must forego violence and return to the negotiating table to resolve their decades-old conflict, India’s finance minister said Sunday during a visit to the island.The minister, P. Chidambaram, said while New Delhi backed Sri Lanka’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, military action would not bring […]