Tag: Sri Lanka
French charity scales down Sri Lanka operations after massacre
Sept 6, 2006 (AFP) – A French charity announced Wednesday it was drastically scaling down its operations following allegations that government troops were responsible for the massacre of 17 of its employees.Action Against Hunger (Action contre la Faim or ACF) said it was reducing its number of staff by 60 to 70 percent and stopping […]
Troops secure town captured from Tiger control in eastern Sri Lanka
Sept 5 (AFP) – Hundreds of Sri Lankan troops worked Tuesday to clear mines and booby-trapped devices from a town they captured from Tamil Tiger guerrillas after weeks of fighting, military officials said. Fighting in Sri Lanka has intensified since December, shattering hopes for the ceasefire to continue and leaving more than 1,500 dead, according […]
Mortar attacks as Sri Lanka troops dig in near key port
TRINCOMALEE, Sri Lanka, Sept 5, 2006 (AFP) – Security forces and Tamil Tiger rebels traded mortar bomb attacks in this Sri Lankan port district Tuesday, a day after the military captured a nearby rebel artillery base. The rebels accused the military of sparking the latest fighting and said their forces were still holding Sampur’s eastern […]
Hasty Exit
Sept 04 (LBO) – The government has shelved a bidding round for oil exploration until it sorts out a battle with Norwegian company TGS Nopec to buy up three years worth of seismic data. TGS Nopec conducted seismic surveys in the Mannar Basin since 2002, with the government trying to buy back the data for […]
Bigger Bills
Sept 04 (LBO) – Ceylon Petroleum Corporation said Monday that it would jack up fuel prices with effect from midnight Monday, to offset losses made by the state utility. Petrol will go up by Rs. 5.00 a litre to 101 rupees, diesel by Rs.3.00 to Rs. 67.00 a litre and kerosene, largely used by rural […]
President capture of key Tiger controlled town will not lead to all out war
Sept 4 (AFP) – Sri Lankan troops Monday captured a town used by Tiger rebels to launch artillery against the key naval port of Trincomalee, but President Mahinda Rajapakse said the victory would not lead to all-out war. Security forces have moved into Sampur, 10 kilometers (six miles) across the Koddiya Bay from the Trincomalee […]
Sri Lanka troops capture Tiger town: minister
Sept 4 (AFP) – Sri Lankan troops Monday captured an eastern coastal town used by Tiger rebels to launch artillery attacks against the strategic naval port of Trincomalee, a government minister told AFP.Security forces moved into Sampur, 10 kilometers (six miles) across the Koddiya Bay from the Trincomalee naval and air complex, with hardly any […]
Sri Lanka fighting hits lull
Sept 3, 2006 (AFP) – Fighting between troops and Tamil Tigers near a key northeast port hit a lull Sunday, residents said, a day after 80 rebels were reportedly killed in a sea battle off the northern Jaffna peninsula.Artillery guns were silent in the restive port district of Trincomalee since the weekend, residents said, adding […]
Sri Lanka refutes Nordic monitors over massacre charge
Sept 3, 2006 (AFP) – Sri Lanka on Sunday stepped up its campaign against Nordic truce monitors who accused government forces of involvement in the killing of 17 employees of a French aid charity last month.After accusing the Norwegian-led Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) of being “biased” and “unprofessional,” the office coordinating the peace process […]
Sri Lanka navy says killed 80 rebels in sea battle
Sept 2, 2006 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s navy killed at least 80 Tamil Tiger guerrillas after a six-hour battle with a flotilla of rebel boats off the island’s northern waters Saturday, the defence ministry said.The boats of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) were trying to attack the northern port of Kankesanthurai at the […]
Sri Lanka sends more supplies to Jaffna
Sept 2, 2006 (AFP) – A second cargo ship was loaded here Saturday with supplies for desperate residents of Sri Lanka’s northern Jaffna peninsula, where the navy said it killed 80 Tamil rebels in a fierce six-hour sea battle.The vessel containing food, drugs and other essential goods was slated to leave Sunday on a two-day […]
New controls on foreign aid workers in Sri Lanka after killings
COLOMBO, Sept 1, 2006 (AFP) – Sri Lanka has enforced new controls on foreign aid workers after 17 local employees of a French charity were murdered, allegedly by security forces, aid officials said Friday. Local and foreign non-government organisations were told to obtain work permits for expatriate staff by Friday, before the deadline was extended […]