Category: Politics
Sri Lanka threatens legal action over war crimes claim
December 23, 2009 (AFP) – Sri Lanka threatened on Wednesday to take legal action against its former military chief over his claims that troops had committed war crimes against Tamil Tiger rebels.Former army chief Sarath Fonseka claimed this month that Sri Lankan troops shot dead surrendering Tamil leaders on the orders of the defence secretary […]
Sri Lanka seizes Tiger rebel ship: navy
December 21, 2009 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s military said Monday it had seized a cargo ship suspected of being an arms smuggling vessel used by the defeated Tamil Tiger rebels at an undisclosed foreign port.Navy spokesman Captain Athula Senarath said the 90-metre (300-feet) long Princess Christina had been captured at a foreign port but refused […]
Sri Lanka says asked by UN to answer new war crime charges
December 21, 2009 (AFP) – The United Nations has asked Sri Lanka to explain allegations by a former army general that surrendering Tamil rebel leaders were killed in cold blood in mid-May, the government said on Monday. The presidency in Colombo said the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Philip Alston, sought […]
‘s war heroes battle for a clean image
December 20, 2009 (AFP) – A presidential election in Sri Lanka next month will see two former allies from the country’s bitter civil war slugging it out, but their record on corruption, not the battlefield, might swing the final vote.President Mahinda Rajapakse and his former army chief Sarath Fonseka are set to face each other […]
Asylum seekers leave Indonesia: official
JAKARTA, December 20, 2009 (AFP) – Fifteen of the Sri Lankan asylum seekers who spent weeks refusing to get off the boat that rescued them near Indonesia have left the country, a foreign ministry official said Sunday.“They left Indonesia yesterday. Two were flown to Australia and the other 13 were taken to an evacuation centre […]
Sri Lanka presidential rivals hand in nominations
December 17, 2009 (AFP) – Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse and his main rival in elections next month, former army general Sarath Fonseka, handed in their poll nomination papers on Thursday.Rajapakse and Fonseka, both dressed in white national dress, were among 22 candidates whose papers were accepted by the national Election Commission. Rajapakse has called […]
EU gives six million euros to help Sri Lanka refugees
BRUSSELS, December 16, 2009 (AFP) – The European Commission on Wednesday granted more aid for tens of thousands of people who fled fighting between Sri Lankan forces and Tamil fighters, voicing concern for their lack of protection.The commission is “concerned by the lack of protection for the internally displaced, especially for female-headed households and single […]
Sri Lanka Galle literary festival 2010 to showcase crime, pulp literature
Dec 15, 2009 (LBO) – Famous, if fictional detective John Rebus, finely illustrated graphic novels and sensational pulp fiction are billed to make Sri Lanka’s next literary festival a tourist draw card. South Asian writers including Mohamed Hanif, (A Case of Exploding Mangoes), Rana Dasgupta (Tokyo Cancelled), Amit Varma (My Friend Sancho) will attend the […]
Sri Lanka post-war recovery hit by graft, violence: watchdog
December 15, 2009 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s recovery from its decades-long civil war has been marred by graft, violence and a culture of lawlessness, a global watchdog said Tuesday.Transparency International rapped the government — which crushed the Tamil Tiger separatist rebels in May — for a lack of democracy, accountability and transparency. “The latter half […]
Aicraft with arms was to re-fuel in Sri Lanka: Thai PM
BANGKOK, December 13, 2009 (AFP) – Thai authorities will bring charges against five men from eastern Europe detained in Bangkok with a plane full of North Korean weapons, premier Abhisit Vejjajiva said Sunday. “They committed two crimes, firstly they gave false information about their cargo, and secondly that cargo was found to be weapons,” he […]
Sri Lanka Tiger leaders killed in cold blood: ex-army chief
December 13, 2009 (AFP) – Sri Lankan troops shot dead surrendering Tamil Tiger leaders on the orders of the defence secretary, the former army chief who is now running for president said on Sunday.General Sarath Fonseka said Gotabhaya Rajapakse — the brother of the current president — instructed field commanders not to take prisoners in […]
Sri Lanka ex-general fears Tiger attack on presidential bid – Interview
December 8, 2009 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s former military chief who led troops to victory over Tamil separatists in May said he fears fugitive rebels will try to assassinate him during his presidential election campaign.Sarath Fonseka, who is trying to unseat President Mahinda Rajapakse in the January 26 elections, told AFP that about 1,000 Tamil […]