Tag: lbo
Eight killed in Sri Lanka in fresh violence
Nov 13, 2006 (AFP) – At least four Sri Lankan soldiers and four Tamil Tiger rebels were killed in separate violence in the island’s embattled northeast, the defence ministry said Tuesday.Three soldiers were killed when Tamil Tiger rebels detonated a bomb in the northern district of Vavuniya on Tuesday, the ministry said, adding that another […]
Sri Lanka steps up security ahead of protest over assassination
Nov 13, 2006 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s police stepped up already tight security in the capital Monday ahead of a mass protest over the assassination of a moderate Tamil legislator and growing rights abuses, officials said.Several major roads in the city were closed and vehicle inspections intensified as anti-war demonstrators prepared to stage a march […]
Sri Lanka faces child soldier charge as Britain tries to save peace
Nov 13, 2006 (AFP) – The United Nations accused Sri Lanka Monday of recruiting child soldiers to battle Tiger rebels as Britain moved to help save a crumbling peace process.Even as mourners protested the assassination of a moderate Tamil legislator, a top UN official issued a scathing attack on government security forces, accusing them for […]
British to push for Sri Lanka peace
Nov 13, 2006 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s former colonial ruler Britain will send a special envoy to the island Tuesday to help salvage a tattered peace process, diplomats said.British MP Paul Murphy will meet with Sri Lankan leaders during a three-day visit and share his experience of the Northern Ireland peace process, the British High […]
UN slams deadly Sri Lankan army artillery shelling
UNITED NATIONS, Nov 9, 2006 (AFP) – UN relief coordinator Jan Egeland on Thursday slammed an indiscriminate artillery bombardment by the Sri Lankan army that left at least 65 Tamils dead.“Yesterday’s massive attack on civilians shows that force continues to be used indiscriminately in the conflict in Sri Lanka,” said Egeland, the UN under secretary […]
Sea battles in Sri Lanka, government under fire over killings
Nov 10, 2006 (AFP) – Tamil rebels and Sri Lanka’s navy fought a fierce sea battle Friday amid mounting international condemnation over heavy civilian casualties in the separatist conflict. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) destroyed two naval gunboats in fighting overnight Thursday, with the navy hitting back in the morning and destroying two […]
Tamil MP killed amid heavy Sri Lanka fighting
Nov 10, 2006 (AFP) – Gunmen assassinated a pro-rebel Tamil MP in the capital Colombo Friday as Sri Lanka’s warring parties fought fresh battles and faced rising international condemnation over civilian killings.“They are clearly not going to get a solution through violence,” Boucher warned.Unidentified gunmen shot dead legislator Nadarajah Raviraj, 44, and his bodyguard as […]
’07 budget may lift taxes, foreign borrowing
November 10, 2006 (Dow Jones)–The Sri Lankan government is likely to lift taxes and increase foreign borrowing in its 2007 budget in a bid to meet bloated defense costs and fund large development projects, say analysts. They expect the budget deficit next year at 7.5%-8.0% of gross domestic product, down from an expected 9% this […]
Sri Lankan markets jittery as bullets fly ahead of next week’s budget
November 10, 2006 (LBO) – Sri Lankan share prices are breaking records amidst flying bullets, but financial markets are uneasy that the government may use next Thursday’s budget to tax capital gains, analysts said. One of Asia’s best performing indexes, the island’s tiny stockmarket is up over 30 percent since January, largely on deal making […]
Sri Lankan government under fire over refugee carnage
Nov 9, 2006 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s government came under international criticism Thursday after killing 65 refugees and wounding hundreds of others in an artillery blitz of the rebel-held east of the island.Nearly 3,300 people have been killed in fighting in the past year despite a 2002 truce in Sri Lanka’s separatist conflict. Nordic monitors […]
” over refugee killings
Nov 9, 2006 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s government Thursday expressed “regret” over the killing of some 65 civilians in an artillery blitz on the rebel-held east of the island, but blamed the Tamil Tigers for using human shields.Government defence spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella said the military had targeted two Tamil Tiger artillery positions in Wednesday’s attack […]
Sri Lanka Navy gunboat attacked by Tiger suicide craft
COLOMBO, Nov 9, 2006 (AFP) – A heavy sea battle erupted in northern Sri Lanka Thursday after Tamil Tiger rebels staged a suicide attack against a navy gunboat, military sources said.The battle came as the government expressed “regret” over the killing of up to 65 civilians in an attack on suspected Tamil Tiger positions in […]