Tag: news
Southern Harbour
March 12, 2007 (LBO) – Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) Monday signed up two Chinese firms to build the proposed Hambantota Port in Southern Sri Lanka, with financing expected from the Chinese government. SLPA hopes the project will provide 6,000 direct employment and 50,000 indirect employment opportunities in the area, with nearby Matara, Ratnapura and […]
Six die in fresh Sri Lanka clashes
COLOMBO, March 12, 2007 (AFP) – Six people died in fresh clashes between government troops and Tamil Tiger rebels in Sri Lanka’s embattled north and east, the military said Monday as aid groups warned of a refugee crisis. Suspected Tiger rebels set off a roadside bomb that killed a government security guard in the north […]
Sri Lankan president raps police over killings
March 11, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s president Sunday chided his top police officers over a new wave of “execution-style” killings and demanded immediate action to end a climate of terror.President Mahinda Rajapakse expected “responsible intervention” by the police to stem a wave of killings, abductions and extortion rackets, some of which have been linked […]
MSF founder sees no quick end to Sri Lankan cycle of violence
March 11, 2007 (AFP) – The founder of the French charity Medecins Sans Frontiers, who has worked in over a dozen war zones, says there is no quick fix to Sri Lanka’s current killing spree — his latest human rights challenge. Bernard Kouchner, 67, a former French minister who co-founded MSF (Doctors without Borders) in […]
Thousands of civilians flee as troops, Tigers clash
March 11, 2007 (AFP) – More than 40,000 civilians have fled their homes in eastern Sri Lanka in recent days amid renewed clashes between troops and Tamil Tiger rebels that have left 33 dead, both sides said Sunday.More than 4,000 people have been killed amid an upsurge in fighting since December 2005, despite the two […]
Eight killed in Sri Lanka wildlife park as fighting escalates
March 10, 2007 (AFP) – Suspected Tamil Tiger rebels shot dead four security personnel and four park officials inside a wildlife sanctuary as fighting escalated elsewhere on the island, the military said Saturday.More than 4,000 people have been killed in escalating fighting since December 2005 even though the two sides agreed to a truce five […]
‘s human rights record
COLOMBO, March 10, 2007 (AFP) – The United States expressed concern Friday over Sri Lanka’s human rights record as activists stepped up pressure over a spate of abductions and disappearances. Visiting ambassador Steven Mann, principal deputy assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asian Affairs, urged President Mahinda Rajapakse to address the issue during […]
Sri Lanka troops in major attack on Tiger jungle base
March 8, 2007 (AFP) – Thousands of Sri Lankan government troops have begun advancing towards a strategic Tamil Tiger rebel jungle base in the island’s restive east, military sources said Thursday. More than 4,000 people have been killed in escalating fighting since December 2005. Troops backed by artillery and multi-barrel rocket fire were advancing towards […]
Dirty Limit
BEIJING, March 7, 2007 (AFP) – China will no longer allow new coal-based power generators with a capacity below 300,000 kilowatts to be built, hoping to alleviate pressure on the environment, state media reported Wednesday.New coal power generators should be equipped with facilities to reduce sulphur and soot emissions, the China Business News reported, citing […]
More Power
March 07, 2007 (LBO) –Mini hydro company Vidullanka has connected a new plant to the national grid the company said Wednesday, which can boost its energy production by more than 66 percent. Vidullanka which operates a 3.2 MegaWatt (MW) plant said a 2MW plant in Batatota has now been connected to Ceylon Electricity Board. The […]
Sri Lanka to probe charities for alleged Tiger links
COLOMBO, March 7, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s military will probe charities for alleged links with Tamil Tiger rebels, defence spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella said Wednesday.The government has accused foreign and local non-government organisations (NGOs) working in the embattled north and east provinces of helping the Tigers with logistics, a claim the charities deny. “The defence […]
Sri Lanka finds five more corpses
March, 06 (LBO) – Five burnt bodies have been discovered in the north central Sri Lankan district of Anuradhapura, police said Tuesday. Tirappane police said the bodies were found near the village of Thuruvila in the Anuradhapura district. Anuradhapura is more than 200 kilometres away from Colombo in the north central province of Sri Lanka. […]