Tag: lbo
Sri Lanka appoints committee to probe child recruitment charges
Aug 29, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lanka Wednesday appointed a committee to probe allegations of child recruitment by a Tamil group allegedly linked to the government. The move came ahead of a crucial United Nations meeting next month on the human rights situation on the island. The committee will “inquire into allegations of abduction and […]
Refining Plan
August 29, 2007 (LBO) – The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC), Sri Lanka’s state-owned oil refiner and distributor, is evaluating bids from two parties to conduct a feasibility study for its refinery expansion, a top official said. De Mel wants to acquire a hydro-cracker that can increase the yield of diesel in particular. Updated “We have […]
Not too late for Sri Lanka peace talks: Egeland
SINGAPORE, Aug 28, 2007 (AFP) – There is still time for peace talks between Sri Lanka’s government and separatist Tamil Tiger rebels despite the virtual collapse of a truce, a former Norwegian peace broker said Tuesday.“It’s not too late. They can and should and must reopen real peace negotiations,” Jan Egeland told AFP. But he […]
Normal Light
August 27, 2007 (LBO) – The powerful engineers union of Sri Lanka’s state-owned electricity utility has temporarily suspended industrial action started last week, following talks with senior government officials. Secretaries to the President, the treasury and energy and the CEB chairman met the Ceylon Electricity Board Engineers Union (CEBEU) Sunday after a work-to-rule campaign began […]
Nine rebels killed in Sri Lanka clashes: military
Aug 27, 2007 (AFP) – At least nine Tamil Tiger rebels were killed and five government soldiers wounded in weekend battles in northern Sri Lanka, the defence ministry said Monday.The nine members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) were killed in northwestern Mannar district, the ministry said in a statement. Army troops also […]
‘s biggest Buddhist pageant goes ahead despite bomb scare
Aug 26, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lanka police Sunday defused a powerful bomb near the route of a major Buddhist festival in the sacred city of Kandy, officials said.Police removed the three-kilogramme (6.6 pound) bomb from an abandoned building near a path taken by the Kandy Perahera, or pageant which moves through the city’s streets, […]
Sri Lanka defence analyst silenced amid fears for life
Aug 26, 2007 (AFP) – A top Sri Lankan defence columnist stopped writing fearing for his life after he exposed alleged corruption in the purchase of second-hand supersonic jets, the Sunday Times weekly said.The “Situation Report” by Iqbal Athas was not being published Sunday after the government withdrew police body guards who had been assigned […]
Ease emergency laws, media rights group tells Sri Lanka
Aug 24, 2007 (AFP) – A media rights group Friday urged Sri Lanka to ease emergency laws that curtail freedom of expression and warned of worsening conditions in one of the world’s most dangerous places for journalists.Working conditions have deteriorated in the Tamil-populated northern district of Jaffna since fighting erupted there between government troops and […]
Black Line
August 23, 2007 (LBO) – Lanka IOC, a unit of the Indian Oil Corporation, has returned to profitability in the June quarter, posting 490 million rupees in profits, interim results filed with the Colombo Stock Exchange showed. . The firm reversed a loss of 584 million in the same quarter last year. Part of the […]
Sri Lanka hosts anti-terrorism meet to highlight plight of victim states
August 17, 2007 (LBO) – A top French anti-terrorism judge and leading conflict specialists are among speakers at a counter-terrorism conference to be held in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo. Sri Lanka will seek to focus attention on the plight of countries affected by terrorism, especially its own near 30-year experience during the International Conference […]
Acid attack on Sri Lanka journalist
COLOMBO, Aug 16, 2007 (AFP) – A Tamil reporter suffered burns on his face, arms and back after attackers threw acid at him in Sri Lanka’s capital Thursday in the latest assault on journalists, a rights group said.K.P. Mohan of the Tamil-language Thinakkural daily was attacked as he walked out of Colombo’s main hospital, where […]
Sri Lanka Tamils pressured to stop court cases: rights group
Aug 16, 2007 (AFP) – The government of Sri Lanka is pressuring minority Tamils to withdraw court cases against the authorities for forcibly evicting them from the capital, a rights group said Thursday.The group, the Civil Monitoring Committee, said they suspected pro-government elements had planted a bomb in a low-budget hostel occupied by members of […]