Tag: lbo

Jan 9, 2007 (AFP) – At least four civilians were killed and 16 hurt by Sri Lankan army shelling inside rebel-held territory, the Tamil Tigers said Tuesday, as sporadic violence was reported in the island’s troubled northeast. The rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) said on its website that one more civilian was killed […]

Jan 9, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s president Tuesday said a cabinet reshuffle was being considered but discounted local media reports that he would call a snap parliamentary election. President Mahinda Rajapakse said he saw no reason for a general election “at this stage,” according to a statement released by his office. “There were no […]

Jan 9, 2007 (AFP) – Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee arrived in Sri Lanka Tuesday to invite President Mahinda Rajapakse to attend a South Asian summit in New Delhi in April, officials said. Mukherjee opened talks with his Sri Lankan counterpart Mangala Samaraweera here ahead of talks with Rajapakse and Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake before […]

Jan 9, 2007 (AFP) – The United States Tuesday urged a speedy political solution to Sri Lanka’s separatist conflict as the island slipped into more violence, and warned that a military solution was not possible.“According to government estimates, 15,000 people are isolated without access to food or basic supplies, as stocks are decimated.” The US […]

Jan 8, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lanka Monday stepped up security on public transport across the country after two weekend bomb attacks killed 21 passengers and wounded about 120, police said. Passengers were forced to line up for security checks before boarding buses and trains that bring in about 70 percent of the one million […]

Jan 8, 2007 (AFP) – The United Nations Monday condemned weekend bomb attacks on bus passengers in Sri Lanka and and called on the combatants in the island’s ethnic conflict to ensure civilian safety in battle zones. “The United Nations calls for the protection of all civilians throughout the island,” the statement said. The bus […]

Jan 5, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lankan air force jets conducted a fourth straight day of raids Friday against Tamil Tiger positions in the north of the island, a military spokesman said. Brigadier Prasad Samarasinghe said a dawn raid by Israeli-built Kfir jets “completely destroyed” a Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) base at Wilawattai […]

JAKARTA, Jan 5, 2007 (AFP) – Indonesian police have captured a Sri Lankan wanted in the United States for allegedly smuggling arms for use in terrorist attacks in New York, police said Friday. Pratheepan Thavarajah, 32, was arrested on Thursday at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Jakarta just as he was boarding a flight to Kuala […]

Jan 5, 2007 (AFP) – At least four people were killed and 50 wounded in a bus blast near Sri Lankan capital Colombo, police said Friday.A bomb ripped through the passenger bus driving between Nittambuwa and Giriulla during the evening rush hour on the main Colombo-Kandy highway. The bus immediately caught fire, eye witnesses said. […]

Jan 5, 2007 (AFP) – Suspected Tamil Tiger rebels set off a powerful explosion aboard a bus, killing at least five people and wounding 50 others near Sri Lankan capital Colombo, defence ministry said. A bomb ripped through the passenger bus driving between Nittambuwa and Giriulla during the evening rush hour on the Colombo-Kandy highway. […]