Category: Politics
Sri Lanka troops enter final Tiger town: govt
January 25, 2009 (AFP) – Sri Lankan troops on Sunday fought their way into Mullaittivu, the last town held by Tamil Tiger rebels who are holed up in the northeast of the island, a government spokesman said. “For the last time, I am telling the LTTE to lay down arms and surrender,” he said in […]
Sri Lanka troops overrun last Tiger town: army chief
January 25, 2009 (AFP) – Sri Lankan troops on Sunday overran the last town controlled by Tamil rebels, army chief Lieutenant General Sarath Fonseka said, striking a significant blow in Asia’s longest-running ethnic conflict. “We have completely captured Mullaittivu,” the army chief said in a televised address to the nation. The fall of Mullaittivu is […]
‘s other war keeps media on the run
January 25, 2009 (AFP) – Sri Lanka is in the grip of its biggest military offensive against Tamil Tiger rebels, but the country’s journalists are also facing an unprecedented battle of their own. Unidentified attackers stabbed weekly newspaper editor Upali Tennakoon and smashed his car as he drove to work Friday in the latest in […]
Sri Lankan troops seize Tiger camps: military
January 24, 2009 (AFP) – Sri Lankan security forces captured two Tamil Tiger guerrilla camps after heavy fighting in the island’s northeast, the military said Saturday.Government forces have been steadily advancing into the remaining territory held by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the coastal district of Mullaittivu. “Sri Lanka army Task Force […]
Sri Lanka must act on violence against media: Amnesty
LONDON, January 23, 2009 (AFP) – Sri Lankan authorities must ensure that the island’s media can work freely and safely, Amnesty International said Friday, as a string of violent attacks against reporters escalated.“By threatening journalists with the risk of arrest, and failing to protect them from attack, the government is failing its citizens.” The London-based […]
Media freedoms under threat in Sri Lanka: US
January 24, 2009 (AFP) – Continuing attacks against journalists in Sri Lanka show the deteriorating conditions media workers face in the country, a statement released by the US embassy here said Saturday.In the statement, US State Department acting spokesman Robert A.Wood said the United States was appalled by ongoing physical attacks and threats against the […]
Sri Lanka media freedoms under threat: US
January 24, 2009 (AFP) – Continuing attacks against journalists in Sri Lanka show the deteriorating conditions media workers face in the country, a statement released by the US embassy here said Saturday.In the statement, US State Department acting spokesman Robert A. Wood said the United States was appalled by ongoing physical attacks and threats against […]
Sri Lankan army says Tamil Tigers close to losing firepower
January 23, 2009 (AFP) – Sri Lankan troops have advanced to a key area held by Tamil Tigers and are on the verge of destroying the rebels’ artillery, a military official said Friday.Soldiers were on the verge of taking the village of Visuamadu in the district of Mullaittivu, where Tamil Tiger rebels have been forced […]
Sri Lanka newspaper editor assaulted
Jan 23, 2009 (LBO) – An editor of a Sri Lankan weekly newspaper and his wife had been have been assaulted, a staff member said, weeks after an editor of a newspaper critical of the government had been gunned down. Noyahr then left the country. The ownership of the newspaper firm then changed hands. The […]
Sri Lanka says troops seize Tiger command centre
January 22, 2009 (AFP) – Sri Lankan troops have seized a Tamil Tiger command centre in the island’s north as ground troops advance further into the rebels’ remaining territory, a military official said on Thursday.Security forces found briefing rooms containing detailed maps at the facility in the district of Mullaittivu, where the Liberation Tigers of […]
Sri Lankan Tigers block UN staff from leaving
January 22, 2009 (AFP) – The United Nations Thursday accused Sri Lanka’s Tamil Tigers of preventing its staff from leaving rebel-controlled areas in the north of the island.The UN said several of its local staff and their families were prevented from leaving Thursday with a convoy that had earlier taken food and emergency supplies to […]
Sri Lanka urged to act on human rights abuses
Jan 22, 2009 (LBO) – Britain has urged the Sri Lankan government to take strong action to prevent human rights abuses and called on both sides to the ethnic conflict to ensure the safety of civilians. “Creating an environment in which people from all communities in Sri Lanka live without fear is essential to creating […]