Category: Politics
Sri Lankan dies in self-immolation protest in Switzerland
GENEVA, February 13, 2009 (AFP) – A British resident of Sri Lankan origin burnt himself to death outside the UN’s European headquarters in Geneva in protest at the south Asian conflict, local police said Friday. Police were alerted by passers-by and UN security late Thursday after the man doused himself in petrol and set himself […]
Sri Lankan hostage sighted in Philippines
ZAMBOANGA, February 14, 2009 (AFP) – A Sri Lankan peace activist seized by an armed gang in the southern Philippines has been sighted with his kidnappers, a government official said Saturday.Red Cross staffers Andreas Notter of Switzerland, Italian Eugenio Vagni and Filipina Mary-Jean Lacaba were abducted on January 15 and are still being held by […]
Sri Lanka Tigers attack bus carrying war refugees: military
February 14, 2009 (AFP) – Suspected Tamil Tiger rebels lobbed a grenade and opened fire at a bus transporting civilians out of Sri Lanka’s war zone on Saturday, killing one woman and wounding 13, the defence ministry said.Sri Lanka has resisted calls for a “no-fire period,” amid claims from relief agencies that a “humanitarian catastrophe” […]
Sri Lanka shelling kills four more civilians: official
February 14, 2009 (AFP) – Four civilians died when artillery shells fell on a home for the elderly inside a demarcated safe area within Sri Lanka’s war zone, a doctor said Saturday. Many elderly people were also injured in the shelling on Friday in the northeast Puttumattalan area, said T. Satyamurthy, a doctor working out […]
Sri Lanka ratifies South Asian development fund
Feb 13, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka has ratified a proposal to set up a South Asian development fund mooted at a summit of regional leaders last year, a senior government minister said. Sri Lanka will make a contribution of 3,563.6 million rupees for the fund of which 500 million would be paid this year, […]
Sri Lanka rejects British special envoy
February 12, 2009 (AFP) – Sri Lanka on Thursday rejected Britain’s appointment of a special envoy to the island, accusing London of interfering in its internal affairs as security forces battled to defeat Tamil Tiger rebels. The diplomatic row between Colombo and London blew up amid mounting international concerns for the tens of thousands of […]
Sri Lankan peace activist kidnapped in Philippines
ZAMBOANGA, February 13, 2009 (AFP) – Gunmen kidnapped a Sri Lankan Muslim working as a peace advocate in the southern Philippines on Friday, officials said. Jalil Omar, a Muslim preacher, was seized from his boarding house in Lamitan City, capital of Basilan island before dawn and taken to a nearby mountain area, said police commander […]
Sri Lanka conflict-trapped civilians only 65,000: minister
Feb 13, 2009 (LBO) – Contrary to claims that several hundred thousand civilians are trapped in a conflict area in the northeast of Sri Lanka, the latest official estimate is that only 65,000 people remain, a government minister said.Disaster relief services minister Rishad Badurdeen said 34,430 people have escaped from remaining Tamil Tiger controlled areas […]
Sri Lankan troops kill 28 Tamil Tigers: military
February 12, 2009 (AFP) – Sri Lankan troops killed 28 Tamil rebels and seized a cache of weapons and ammunition in their latest push for victory in the island’s drawn-out ethnic conflict, the government said Thursday.The Red Cross carried out a similar sea evacuation of 240 patients on Tuesday, saying the group had been stranded […]
Sri Lankan troops declare new civilian safe zone
February 12, 2009 (AFP) – Sri Lankan troops declared a new safe zone for civilians Thursday as they battled to finish off the island’s drawn-out ethnic conflict, the defence ministry said. Concern has mounted for tens of thousands of non-combatants trapped in the war zone, with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) saying […]
Sri Lanka shelling kills 16 at hospital: ICRC
February 10, 2009 (AFP) – Sixteen patients at a makeshift hospital in Sri Lanka’s war zone were killed when the facility was shelled, the Red Cross said Tuesday, as Colombo accused Tamil rebels of gunning down 19 civilians.The news of Monday’s attack on the hospital in northern Putumattalan came as non-combatants poured across the frontlines […]
Sri Lanka govt denies shelling that killed 16 patients
February 11, 2009 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s military on Wednesday denied shelling a makeshift hospital where 16 patients were killed as concern mounted for the safety of non-combatants trapped in the island’s ethnic conflict.Military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said security forces were not involved in the attack, which the International Committee of the Red Cross […]