Tag: lbo
Sri Lanka troops take key highway from Tigers
COLOMBO, April 12, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lankan forces have captured a strategic highway in the island’s restive eastern province which was under Tamil Tiger control for 15 years, the defence ministry said Thursday.Troops took control Wednesday of the A-5 road linking the town of Chenkaladi and Badulla in the central part of the island, […]
Bus and beer truck crash kills 17 in Sri Lanka
April 10, 2007 (AFP) – At least 17 people died when a crowded bus and a truck transporting beer crashed head on in southern Sri Lanka Tuesday, police said.Most of the victims were trapped and burnt to death as the bus caught fire at Induruwa, about 70 kilometres (43 miles) south of Colombo, police said. […]
Tamil Tigers call for sporting boycott of Sri Lanka
COLOMBO, April 10, 2007 (AFP) – Tamil Tiger rebels Tuesday backed an Amnesty International campaign to shame Sri Lanka’s government during the cricket World Cup and said it should be extended to a full sporting boycott of the island.Sri Lanka are due to host a high-profile cricket series against England later this year.The London-based rights […]
Hedge Win
April 09, 2007 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s petroleum utility will get a 33 million rupee payment this week on the expiry of its first hedging contract for imported diesel, a top official said. Last month the utility raised petroleum prices by 7 rupees a litre (about 30 rupee a gallon). Updated The utility first bought […]
Port Builders
April 09, 2007 (LBO) – The Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) is having a pre-bid meeting Tuesday with private investors keen on building container terminals in Colombo’s new south port whose infrastructure work has attracted interest from 30 investor consortia, an official said. SLPA chairman Saliya Wickramasooriya said Monday the original date for opening bids […]
ICRC concerned about worsening situation in Sri Lanka
GENEVA, April 9, 2007 (AFP) – The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) voiced concern Monday about the worsening situation in Sri Lanka, urging all sides to respect humanitarian law.“The number of casualties caused by deliberate attacks on civilians has sharply increased in northern and eastern Sri Lanka,” the ICRC said in a press […]
Power Drive
April 09, 2007 – Sri Lanka Monday officially kicked off work on building a Japanese funded hydro power project in the island’s central hills, which will add 150 mega wattes of power to the national grid, the Japanese embassy here said.The 33.27 million dollar yen or 30 billion rupee Upper Kotmale project got off the […]
Sri Lanka steps up security as fresh fighting kills seven
COLOMBO, April 8, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lankan stepped up security Sunday over fears of bomb attacks ahead of the traditional New Year festivities this week while the military said six rebels and a soldier were killed in fresh fighting. A government soldier was killed in a confrontation with Tamil Tiger rebels in the north […]
Eight killed in Sri Lanka bus blast
by Mel Gunasekera COLOMBO, April 7, 2007 (AFP) – Suspected Tamil Tiger rebels detonated a roadside bomb on Saturday, killing eight passengers on a bus and wounding 25, the Sri Lankan government said, marking the latest violence on the island. Security has also been intensified across the island’s northern and eastern regions in a bid […]
US busts Asian network seeking arms for Tamil Tigers; Singapore man pleads guilty
WASHINGTON, April 5, 2007 (AFP) – US authorities said Thursday they had busted an arms-trafficking gang, arresting six Asians who had been trying to smuggle weapons from the United States to Tamil Tiger rebels.Singapore man Haniffa Bin Osman, 55, was the latest person to plead guilty in the investigation which saw undercover agents track the […]
Tigers, troops claim heavy damages after sea battle
COLOMBO, April 6, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s navy and Tamil Tiger rebels fought a sea battle off the island’s northwestern coast on Friday with both claiming heavy losses for the other side.Naval patrol craft engaged five boats of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) off the coastal district of Puttalam and one was […]
Scenting Oil
April 6 (LBO) – The top official in charge of Sri Lanka’s search for oil has told the corporate sector to be ready to provide the support service and skills required by an offshore petroleum industry. Three of the eight remaining blocks will be opened for bidding this year, with the others following in a […]