Fresh Slate

December 30 (LBO) – The Sri Lanka government has agreed to offload half the 60 billion-rupee long-term debt of the Ceylon Electricity Board from January and re-schedule the balance to be paid after five years. The CEB sells about seven billion units of electricity each year, with households using up 2550 million units with an […]

Pipeline Plans

December 29 (LBO) – Sri Lanka has signed a deal Friday with India’s National Thermal Power Corporation to build a 500 million dollar coal power project in the east of the island. The 500-megawatt capacity project to be built in Trincomalee will be jointly held by the state utility, Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) and the […]

Crew seeks return home as Jordanian ship runs aground

Dec 24, 2006 (AFP) – The Iraqi skipper of a cargo vessel that ran aground near Tamil Tiger-held territory in Sri Lanka asked Red Cross officials on Sunday to arrange the crew’s return home, the guerrillas said. The Jordanian-registered Farha III ship ran aground in northeastern Sri Lanka late Saturday, sparking a war of words […]

” crew from Jordanian ship, govt alleges piracy

Dec 23, 2006 (AFP) – Tamil Tiger rebels said Saturday they had rescued 25 sailors from a crippled Jordanian ship off Sri Lanka’s northeastern coast, dismissing government allegations they had staged a “pirate attack”.The vessel, identified as the Farha III, was believed to be crewed by Jordanian and Egyptian nationals and was carrying 14,000 tonnes […]

Sri Lanka arrests Tigers escaping with fleeing civilians

Dec 21, 2006 (AFP) – Sri Lankan troops have arrested 15 Tamil Tiger rebels who pretended to be civilians fleeing the embattled eastern region ahead of a major military offensive, officials said Thursday. The men were detained while the security forces screened some 22,000 civilians who fled the Vakarai area in the eastern district of […]

Sri Lankan children abducted as rebels admit conscription mistake

COLOMBO, Dec 21, 2006 (AFP) – Armed men have kidnapped 16 boys and three girls in eastern Sri Lanka, a pro-rebel website reported Thursday, as Tiger guerrillas admitted a “mistake” in conscripting 21 others. The Tamilnet.com website said members of the breakaway Tiger faction known as the “Karuna group”, which is allegedly backed by the […]

Tamil Tigers kill Sri Lankan soldier in army camp

COLOMBO, Dec 20, 2006 (AFP) – Tamil Tiger rebels attacked an army camp in northwestern Sri Lanka, killing a soldier, the defence ministry said Wednesday. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) raided an army camp in northwestern Mannar district on Tuesday night, the ministry said in a statement. The military retaliated, but it was […]

Tigers allege air strike amid mourning for negotiator

Dec 20, 2006 (AFP) – Sri Lankan war planes bombed inside rebel-held territory Wednesday as the militants mourned the death of their top peace negotiator Anton Balasingham, the guerrillas said in a statement. Israeli-built Kfir jets hit a civilian settlement in the district of Mullaitivu, but there were no casualties, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil […]

Earnings Squeeze

December 20, 2006 (LBO) – Caltex Lubricants Lanka said Wednesday that earnings in 2007 will take a hit, after the government upped taxes on base oil, used as a raw material in manufacturing lubricants. The government increased a three percent cess on base oil imposed in October to six percent from November 18, with the […]

Tamil Tigers holding seven boys for military training: officials

Dec 20, 2006 (AFP) – Tamil Tiger rebels who seized 22 teenagers in eastern Sri Lanka freed 15 girls but were holding seven boys for military training, local officials said Wednesday.The Sri Lankan government was also recently accused by the United Nations of colluding with the Karuna group to forcibly recruit child fighters, a charge […]

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COLOMBO, Dec 19, 2006 (AFP) – Tamil Tiger rebels kidnapped 23 teenagers and two of their teachers in eastern Sri Lanka, but later freed them and suspended the militants involved, the guerrillas said Tuesday. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) said members of their eastern units had taken the children away on Monday night […]

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