Category: Politics

CHENNAI, India, Feb 15, 2007 (AFP) – India’s coast guard said it had foiled a major attack when it seized a boat belonging to Sri Lanka’s Tamil Tiger rebels packed with weapons, bomb-making chemicals and a “suicide belt.” Officials said five men including a top Liberation Tamil Tigers of Eelam (LTTE) rebel were on the […]

COLOMBO, Feb 15, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lanka faces international isolation for failing to pay close heed to human rights issues, former foreign minister Mangala Samaraweera warned Thursday.He said he was troubled by the renewed violence and a rising number of deaths, as well as a big increase in unsolved kidnappings across the island. “There […]

Feb 14, 2007 (AFP) – A blast in Sri Lanka’s east hurt 12 people ahead of a visit to the region by Britain’s junior foreign minister Kim Howells on Wednesday to assess projects funded by the former colonial power.More than 60,000 people have been killed in the conflict. A van carrying 15 civilians hit a […]

Feb 14, 2007 (AFP) – Three rebels, a policeman and a security guard were killed in Sri Lanka’s restive eastern province Wednesday as Britain’s junior foreign minister Kim Howells toured projects in the area funded by the former colonial power.Security forces killed three Tiger rebels during clashes across eastern Amapara district which also claimed the […]

Feb 13, 2007 (LBO) – A member of the Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia municipal council was shot dead by unidentified gunmen Tuesday, police said. United National Party member Ariyaratne Silva had been killed at his office in Attidiya Road. Mt. Lavinia police say a T-56 automatic rifle had been used in the killing. (www.vimasuma.com Newsdesk) .

One killed, five injured in Sri Lanka COLOMBO, Feb 13, 2007 (AFP) – A civilian was gunned down in Sri Lanka’s restive north on Monday, while security forces traded fire with Tamil Tiger rebels elsewhere, the defence ministry said. More than 60,000 people have died in the 35-year-old ethnic conflict.Unidentified gunmen shot dead a Tamil […]

February 12 (LBO) – A UK minister has called for a peaceful solution to the conflict in Sri Lanka and said a continuing violence will hold back development and tarnish the country’s image, ahead of a visit to the island. “Today’s British government has no greater wish for Sri Lanka than that it should find […]

MALE, Feb 11, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse arrived in the Maldives on Sunday for a series of talks on bilateral trade, officials said.Rajapakse is due to meet Maldivian President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom for a one-on-one meeting followed by lunch with key government officials here. The Sri Lankan president is expected to […]

COLOMBO, Feb 10, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapakse on Saturday withdrew the security detail from three ministers sacked a day earlier, following dissension within the newly appointed jumbo cabinet.Samaraweera was a key ally of Rajapakse during the 2005 presidential election campaign but fell out of favour after he criticised the president for […]

Feb 9, 2007 (AFP) – A town in Sri Lanka’s embattled east shut down Friday as a sign of respect for a Hindu priest gunned down four days after he welcomed President Mahinda Rajapakse to a former guerrilla stronghold.Military officials said shops closed and transport was halted in Valachchenai to mourn Selliah Parameswar, who was […]

COLOMBO, Feb 9, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s president Friday sacked three ministers, including the former foreign minister, amid growing dissension within the newly-elected 54-member cabinet, officials said. With last month’s defections, Rajapakse’s Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) enjoys a majority and the sacking of the three ministers will not immediately cause any problems for […]

Feb 8, 2007 (AFP) – Suspected Tamil Tiger rebels shot dead a Hindu priest who welcomed President Mahinda Rajapakse to a former guerrilla bastion in the island’s east, military officials said Thursday. Selliah Parameswar was dragged out of his house in Batticaloa district and shot dead late Wednesday by a group of unidentified gunmen, officials […]