Tag: Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka arrests estranged ruling party MP amid deepening rift
March 17, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lankan police arrested on Saturday a government legislator who had accused his own ruling party of striking a secret deal with Tamil Tiger rebels, an official said. . Lawmaker Sripathi Sooriarachchi was arrested and taken before a magistrate who remanded him to judicial custody for two weeks, a police […]
Sri Lanka toll climbs amid heavy shelling
COLOMBO, March 17, 2007 (AFP) – Government troops and Tiger rebels traded artillery attacks in northern Sri Lanka Saturday as the overnight toll rose to at least six soldiers and a rebel killed, officials said.More than 4,000 people have been killed in a new wave of fighting since December 2005 despite a truce that has […]
Sri Lanka seeks foreign help to bring Tigers back to peace talks
WASHINGTON, March 16, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama on Friday sought international help to prod Tamil Tiger rebels waging a battle for a separate homeland to return to the negotiating table. “The international community should once again seek to prevail upon the LTTE to return to the negotiations and to negotiate […]
Sri Lankan troops kill suspected suicide bomber
COLOMBO, March 16, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lankan troops Friday shot dead a suspected Tamil Tiger rebel suicide bomber in the northern district of Jaffna, the defence ministry said.Army personnel had come across the suspected guerrilla wearing a jacket packed with explosives while manning a road block at Savalkattu junction around Friday afternoon. The suspect […]
Sri Lanka Freedom Party sacks rebel strongman from home turf
Mar 16, 2007 (LBO) – The ruling has party has sacked rebel parliamentarian Mangala Samaraweera from the leadership of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) in his home district of Matara in southern Sri Lanka an official said. General Secretary Maithripala Sirisena told LBO that the decision taken yesterday was unanimous and Dulles Alahapperuma has […]
Sri Lanka switches to strong quantity targeting regime; policy rates unchanged in March
March 16 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s central bank kept its now largely irrelevant discount rate unchanged Friday, while its monetary policy actions in recent weeks showed a firm reliance on quantity targeting. The release of the next regular statement on monetary policy is scheduled for 11 April 2007. Update 2 (graphics/reserve money targets) Though the […]
Reforms to end Sri Lankan conflict ready next month: FM
WASHINGTON, March 14, 2007 (AFP) – Constitutional reforms aimed at ending three decades of ethnic bloodshed in Sri Lanka could be finalized as early as next next month, Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama said here Wednesday. “We are expecting it to be by April, the political process to come up with definite proposals for a political […]
Marine Land
March 15 (LBO) – Sri Lanka has accepted a proposal to reclaim the sea and develop 450 acres of land alongside the Colombo Port by John Keells Holdings (JKH), a senior minister said. Updated/adds quotes “In the committee headed by the president we approved a very important and a flagship project to add 450 acres […]
‘s exports grow but trade deficit widens
March 15 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s exports grew by 11.2 percent in January led by industrial exports which surged 15.6 percent, the Central Bank said Friday. Tea exports were hit by production shortfalls following the strikes in December, but apparel exports surged 28.1 percent to 221 million dollars. “However, within the agricultural sector, the increase […]
Bowled Over
March 14 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s power utility is on a drive to provide uninterrupted supply to the country, while facing googlies from depleting hydro reserves, technical glitches, and higher demand from world cup cricket viewers. Meanwhile, the utility’s engineers union has also been warning that additional thermal plants may be needed to bridge a […]
Sri Lanka looks to raise more tax at local government level
March 14, 2007 (LBO) – Sri Lanka is looking for ways for local government bodies to collect more taxes to as part of the strategy to take economic development to rural areas, the office of the president said Wednesday. President Mahinda Rajapakse had met chairmen of local government bodies yesterday to discuss ways to push […]
Senior Sri Lankan defence source warns of long campaign
March 13, 2007 (AFP) – A top Sri Lankan defence source warned Tuesday the current military campaign against the Tiger rebels could take up to three years as warplanes bombed rebel positions for a second day.There have been no comments from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), which have been fighting for an independent […]