Tag: lbo
Sri Lanka rejects child soldier allegations
COLOMBO Jan, 26 (AFP) – Sri Lanka rejected Friday allegations by a human rights group that its security forces supported recruitment of child soldiers, but pledged an “independent” probe into the charges.The government said New York-based Human Rights Watch lacked evidence to backup its allegations of military support for enlisting child soldiers, relying instead on […]
Sri Lanka navy sinks rebel boats to foil port attack
Jan 27, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s navy attacked and destroyed three Tamil Tiger boats on Saturday as the rebels launched their first assault on the port of Colombo in 10 years, the defence ministry said.Naval craft blew up one boat after the three were spotted near a restricted zone before chasing and sinking the […]
Petrol Tug
January 26, (LBO) – Ceylon Petroleum Corporation will purchase a tug to support tanker operations at its offshore petroleum unloading facility, a top official said.CPC Chairman Asantha de Mel says the tug is estimated to cost five million US dollars. “We will save about two million dollars a year that we are now paying to […]
Roadside blast kills three in Sri Lanka
Jan 26, 2007 (AFP) – Suspected Tamil Tiger rebels set off a Claymore mine in northern Sri Lanka Friday, killing two security personnel and a civilian, police said. The powerful roadside bomb was exploded in the district of Vavuniya as troops and police were on a routine patrol, a police official in Vavuniya town, 260 […]
Railway Estate
January 25, 2007 (LBO) – Sri Lanka plans to raise over 1.2 billion dollars in foreign investments to develop real estate along a railway on the island’s western coastal belt, an official said Thursday. The railways operate at a huge loss with a revenue of three billion rupees each year against a state subsidy of […]
Brief Respite
January 25, 2007 (LBO) – Sri Lanka plans to import more refined petroleum products as its sole refinery shuts down for routine maintenance next week, a top Ceylon Petroleum Corporation said Thursday.The Sapugaskanda refinery which has a daily output of 50,000 barrels producing a mix of diesel, kerosene, gasoline, furnace oil and naphtha, is closed […]
Slipped In
January 25 (LBO) – Sri Lanka has allowed six more firms from India, France, China and the Middle East, to market lubricants locally, with three others given provisional approval, a government spokesman said Thursday. Sri Lanka threw open its lubricant market last July, calling for bids from interested investors to blend lubricants locally or import […]
Sri Lanka restores mobile phones after fall of Tiger town
COLOMBO, Jan 24, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lanka has begun restoring mobile phone services to half a million subscribers in the war-hit island’s east after lines were shut down during a battle, telephone operators said Wednesday. The move comes after the capture of the main Tamil rebel bastion in the restive area by government forces. […]
Rights report slams Sri Lanka over child soldiers
Jan 24, 2007 (AFP) – A leading human rights group Wednesday slammed Sri Lanka for conscripting hundreds of child soldiers to fight against Tamil rebels, saying the police had turned a blind eye to the practice for years.New-York based Human Rights Watch (HRW) accused the government of “hypocrisy”, saying in a 100-page report that Colombo […]
Graft-buster campaigns to track down Sri Lanka tsunami corruption
Jan 23, 2007 (AFP) – An international graft-buster Tuesday kicked off a campaign for survivors of Sri Lanka’s December 2004 tsunami to report allegations of corruption involving local and international aid. Transparency International, an international anti-corruption group, set a five-month timetable to give tsunami victims a chance to voice any charges of graft when aid […]
Talking Up
MUMBAI, Jan 23, 2007 (AFP) – India’s largest private phone company, Bharti Airtel, posted Tuesday a third quarter net profit surge, which more than doubled and was above analyst forecasts as demand for telecom services rose.The company said net profit was up to 12.15 billion rupees (274 million dollars) in the quarter ended December 31, […]
Sri Lanka journalists protest killings, abductions of their colleagues
COLOMBO, Jan 23, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lankan journalists Tuesday protested the killings and abductions of colleagues during a rally in the capital that called for the government and Tamil rebels to halt the violence.“Hands off journalists,” said a banner carried by a reporter. “Report Card 2006-2007: Eight journalists killed,” said another placard. Activists at […]