Norway steps up Sri Lanka peace drive

Sept 28, 2006 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s peace broker Norway stepped up moves to arrange face-to-face talks after the government accepted a pledge by the rebel Tamil Tigers to resume negotiations, diplomats said Thursday.The renewed effort came as truce monitors said that intensified fighting between government troops and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) […]

200 civilians die in two months of Sri Lanka fighting: monitors

Sept 28, 2006 (AFP) – Fighting between Sri Lankan troops and Tamil Tiger rebels has caused the deaths of at least 200 civilians in the past two months, Norwegian-led truce monitors said Thursday.The Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) said both the Colombo government and the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) had openly violated […]

Hedge Advice

Sept 28, 2006 (LBO) – Sri Lanka should hedge oil prices to mitigate negative effects on the economy, by entering into contracts with foreign banks, the country’s central bank said in a statement. The Central Bank said it had made a presentation in early September to the President and Cabinet of Ministers to explain schemes […]

Norway welcomes Sri Lanka talks pledge

OSLO, Sept 27, 2006 (AFP) – Norway on Wednesday welcomed an announcement by the Sri Lankan government that the leader of the Tamil Tiger rebels was committed to resuming talks on ending decades of ethnic bloodshed.“We see this as a very positive development and we are hopeful both parties will meet for talks as soon […]

Peace hopes rise as Sri Lanka says Tigers agree to talk

Sept 27, 2006 (AFP) – Hopes for peace in Sri Lanka rose Wednesday after the government revealed Tamil Tigers have agreed to resume face-to-face negotiations and end a seven-month deadlock in talks.Over the past three decades more than 60,000 people have been killed in Sri Lanka’s drawn out ethnic conflict. Tiger leader Velupillai Prabhakaran has […]

Sri Lanka killing fields to haunt negotiators at Swiss talks

GENEVA, Oct 27, 2006 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s warring parties are to meet in Geneva Saturday amid international pressure to stop a new spiral of killings in Asia’s bloodiest civil strife. Tamil Tiger reels who took up arms in 1972 want a separate state for the island’s ethnic Tamil minority. Political talks on power-sharing remain […]

Sri Lanka jets hit Tiger training camp

COLOMBO, Sept 27, 2006 (AFP) – Sri Lankan war planes bombed a suspected Tamil Tiger training camp as the two sides exchanged artillery attacks across a de facto front line in the island’s north, the defence ministry said Wednesday. Mani Shankar Aiyar said here late Tuesday at a public lecture. Aiyar said India supported moves […]

Precious Data

Sept 27, 2006 (LBO) – India’s Oil and Natural Gas Corp and British Gas have bought up seismic data on potential oil deposits off Sri Lanka’s west coast, for two million dollars. Investors interested in potential oil reserves in the Mannar Basin could buy data from the Sri Lankan government, ahead of a bidding round […]

Pricing Wars

Sept 27 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s state oil giant Ceypetco dropped fuel prices on Wednesday to appease trade unions, but has been helped by falling world prices of crude oil. Sri Lanka is expected to pay over 2.0 billion dollars this year, up from 1.6 billion last year for oil imports. (corrected) Sri Lanka’s minister […]

Mine blast kills airman in Sri Lanka

Sept 26, 2006 (AFP) – An airman was killed and another wounded in northern Sri Lanka on Tuesday when a mine blew up as they underwent routine physical training exercises, the defence ministry said. More than 60,000 people have died since the rebellion began in 1972. The Claymore mine exploded in the district of Vavuniya, […]

Pending News

September 26, 2006 (LBO) – Lanka IOCs share prices perked up Tuesday after the Indian fuel retailer announced plans to ink a deal next week, which settles billions of rupees due from the Sri Lankan government. “Our ‘settlement agreement’ with the government of Sri Lanka on resolving the long pending subsidy issue is planned to […]

Sri Lanka troops, Tigers fight heavy sea battle

COLOMBO, Sept 25, 2006 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s navy and Tamil Tiger rebels fought a fierce sea battle on Monday, with both sides giving conflicting casualty figures ranging from three to 70 killed. A navy vessel detected several boats of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) off the coast of Mullaitivu sparking a battle […]

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