Pak team to visit Colombo to probe attack on Lankan cricketers Sep 12, 2009
PTI 12 September 2009, 11:49am IST. ISLAMABAD: A high-power Pakistani investigation team will travel to Sri Lanka next week to probe reports that elements in the island nation were linked to the terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore, interior minister Rehman Malik said. (India Times, India)
What's happening: Local arts and events Sep 10, 2009
Music fans will get a chance to see a one-hour sneak preview of the Sierra Vista Fiddle Contest as several fiddlers from the Cochise County Youth Orchestra put on a free show at noon Sept. 10 in the courtyard of the Sierra Vista campus of Cochise College, 901 N. Colombo Ave.. Youth orchestra director and professional fiddler, Danielle Hendry, will perform and showcase some of the talented young musicans while they demonstrate how a fiddle contest works. (Sierra Vista Herald, AZ)
SRI LANKA: Water shortages grip southeast Sep 8, 2009
COLOMBO, 8 September 2009 () - A new cottage industry has emerged in Sri Lanka's southeastern Ampara District - mobile water sellers, plying their trade on bicycles with large water barrels tied to their backs. With the end of this year's seasonal rains in May, Ampara, about 350km southeast of the capital, Colombo, is in the grip of a serious water shortage likely to last until November, affecting lives and livelihoods - not just in Ampara, but in surrounding communities as well. (AlertNet)
'Miss Universe rigged to favour Venezuela' Aug 31, 2009
SAO PAULO: Former Miss Brazil Adalgisa Colombo has said that this year's Miss Universe pageant, which was won by Miss Venezuela Stefania Fernandez, was "rigged" in favour of Venezuela that has taken the last two titles. "It was rigged. The contest was very dumb, very commercial, with the special interests of (pageant co-owner) Donald Trump, who must have interests in Venezuela," Colombo told the O Globo newspaper's online edition ... Colombo, who was Miss Brazil 1958, said her country's... (India Times)
Italy's Mussolini-Style Bailouts Let Maserati Designer Skirt Bankruptcy Aug 23, 2009
On paper, a lot of companies are already bankrupt, said , founding partner of corporate financial advisory firm Borghesi Colombo & Associati in Milan. They may not be able to pay wages or their suppliers and havent got enough cash to keep going. (Bloomberg)
DNA test confirms Prabhakaran is dead: Lanka army Aug 21, 2009
COLOMBO: Sri Lanka's military said Thursday it has proved conclusively through DNA testing that Tamil Tiger chief Velupillai Prabhakaran was killed last week, after supporters refused to believe a government video showing the leader's dead body. ( ). (India Times, India)
Conflicting accounts emerge of Prabhakaran's death Aug 21, 2009
COLOMBO: Conflicting accounts emerged on Sunday of when and where Sri Lankan rebel leader Velupillai Prabhakaran was killed, after a report of his death was published in a state-run newspaper. The military had previously announced Prabhakaran, 54, was shot on Monday when trying to escape the final battle in a small convoy of vehicles that included a van and an ambulance. (India Times, India)
How the Virgin Mary Survived Sri Lanka's Civil War Aug 17, 2009
Thousands of Sri Lankan pilgrims gather at the shrine of Our Lady of Madhu during the mass held after a interval of nearly 30 years at the annual feast of the 17 century church of Our Lady of Madhu in Mannar 300 kms north-west of Colombo, August 15, 2009 ... For 25 years, Madhu, some 300 km from the capital Colombo, remained well-within the battle grounds of the civil war between the predominantly Sinhalese government and the separatist Tamil Tigers. (Time.com)
Avoid visits to India: SL official to people Aug 15, 2009
COLOMBO: With a surge in swine flu cases in neighbouring India, a top Sri Lankan medical official has asked people to avoid visits to India to safeguard themselves against the deadly H1N1 virus. Dr Paba Palihawadana, Chief Epidemiologist of the Epidemiology Unit of the Healthcare and Nutrition Ministry, said travel to India must be restricted as much as possible to prevent getting infected with H1N1 virus. (India Times, India)
'We will either win Champions Trophy or 2011 WC' Aug 10, 2009
After his team notched a consolation win over Sri Lanka in the fifth and final One-Day International in Colombo on Sunday, Younus said he had a pool of 20 players in mind who will win either the Champions Trophy this year or the 2011 World Cup. "The pool of players includes some talented players and if things go well and everyone including the board, selectors, team management and players fulfill their roles properly I am sure we can win one of the two big tournaments coming up," he added. (India Times, India)
Mixed results in S.Lanka's post-war polls Aug 10, 2009
COLOMBO, Aug 9 (Reuters) - The political allies of the defeated Tamil Tiger rebels won the most seats at local elections in a northern town, while the ruling coalition sailed to victory at local and provincial polls, results showed on Sunday. Saturday's polls, one each for local councillors in the northern towns of Jaffna and Vavuniya and one to elect councillors for the southern Uva Province, were the first since the government crushed the Tigers' 25-year insurrection in May. (AlertNet)
Qadir suspects match-fixers in Pak team Aug 4, 2009
Former captain and wicketkeeper Rashid Latif, however, criticised the team management for exposing the story about suspicious Indian people trying to get in touch with the Pakistani players in Colombo at the wrong time. "Even if such a thing had happened why talk about it to the press just after a big Test series defeat? It makes no sense to me. The matter should have been handled quietly by the team management and board and they should have allowed the team to concentrate on their cricket,"... (India Times, India)
Strangest courses Aug 4, 2009
8 Full steam ahead Located in a picturesque suburb of the city the Royal Colombo Golf Club in Sri Lanka has the distinguishing feature of the Kelani Valley steam railroad running through the course. Four of the holes are traversed by the trains which run past packed full of people ensuring the golfer will often have a audience, although a drop is permitted if your drive lands on the tracks. (CNN -- International)
80 more Indians fly to Sri Lanka to clear landmines Aug 2, 2009
All de-mining is done under the care of the National Steering Committee, a government body in Colombo. After Sri Lanka crushed the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in May this year, the Indian government also decided to provide separate funds to Horizon and Sarvatra as part of stepped up aid to the island nation. (India Times, India -- Community News)
Irfan dropped for other reasons: Yusuf Jul 29, 2009
Last 10 ODIs: 8 and 1/55 vs SL, Colombo, Feb 8, 2009 DNB and 3/58 vs SL, Colombo, Feb 5, 2009 DNB 0/57 vs Eng, Cuttack, Nov 26, 2008 7 and 2/52 vs SL, Colombo, Aug 29, 2008 5 and 1/21 vs SL, Dambulla, Aug 20, 2008 7 and 0/35 vs SL, Dambulla, Aug 18, 2008 2 and 2/67 vs SL, Karachi, July 6, 2008 DNB and 1/80 vs SL, Karachi, July 3, 2008 38* and 0/68 vs Pak, Karachi, July 2, 2008 28 and 2/59 vs Pak, Dhaka, June 14, 2008. Last 10 T20 Internationals: 2 runs and 1/9 vs WI, Lord's, June 12, 2009 DNB... (India Times, India)
Sri Lanka, a gift of life for endangered turtles Jul 27, 2009
"The fishermen would find the turtle eggs and we paid them money so that the eggs were not sold in the market. We want to save the turtles," he explains while standing at the palm-fringed beach in Kosgoda, about 80 km from Colombo. From 1986 to 1990, they paid Rs. (India Times)
Around your town Jul 26, 2009
Nifty Natives will be presented by Petey Mesquitey, a grower with Mountain States Nursery, from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday in the public meeting room at the University of Arizona South, 1140 N. Colombo Drive. He will show how native plants can be used in landscaping for beauty, wildlife and conservation. (Sierra Vista Herald, AZ)
Lanka draw final Test against Pakistan, win series 2-0 Jul 25, 2009
COLOMBO: Kumar Sangakkara hit an unbeaten century to steer Sri Lanka to a draw in the final Test against Pakistan on Friday and win his first series as captain. The left-hander made 130 not out as Sri Lanka, faced with a world record target of 492, defied the Pakistani bowlers to finish with 391/4 on the fifth day at the Sinhalese sports club. (India Times, India)
Lanka revives record run chase against Pak Jul 24, 2009
COLOMBO: Kumar Sangakkara and Thilan Samaraweera defied Pakistan's bowlers to keep Sri Lanka in the hunt for a history-defying victory in the third and final Test on Friday. The pair batted through the morning session of the fifth day as Sri Lanka, set a world record target of 492, carried their overnight score of 183-3 to 262 without further loss by lunch. (India Times, India)
Sri Lanka face record chase to win final Test Jul 23, 2009
COLOMBO: Sri Lanka will need to set a world record to sweep the Test series against Pakistan 3-0 after the tourists piled up the runs in the final Test on Thursday. Shoaib Malik made 134 as Pakistan amassed 410/9 in their second innings by lunch on the fourth day at the Sinhalese sports club, an overall lead of 476 runs with one wicket in hand. (India Times, India)
Lanka not to prosecute child LTTE soldiers Jul 20, 2009
COLOMBO: In a humanitarian gesture to Tamils, Sri Lanka has said that child soldiers recruited by the LTTE would not be prosecuted, and instead made to go to schools. The gesture was announced by Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa who said: "our hearts are not vicious. We will not prosecute children who are 12, 13 and 14 years of age and were forced to take up arms.". (India Times, India)
Pakistan rebuild after early shocks against Lanka Jul 20, 2009
COLOMBO: Khurram Manzoor and Mohammad Yousuf lifted Pakistan with an unbeaten 67-run stand after Sri Lanka's Thilan Thushara struck quick blows at the start of the third Test on Monday. Pakistan, sent in to bat in overcast conditions by Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara, recovered from a shaky 34-2 to post 103 without further loss by lunch on the first day at the Sinhalese sports club. (India Times, India)
eMarketingEye Success at the Travel Distribution Summit Europe 2009 Jul 18, 2009
Colombo, Sri Lanka (PRWEB) July 18, 2009 -- eMarketingEye () one of Asia's most renowned Online Marketing specialists in the Travel and Hospitality sector attended the Travel Distribution Summit - Europe 2009 as part of its expansion strategy. The Travel Distribution Summit - Europe held in London this year, attracted close to 2000 attendees, where industry leading strategists and innovators discussed the future of travel distribution at several conferences and discussions held during the event. (Yahoo News -- Press Releases)
Gambhir becomes No.1 Test batsman Jul 16, 2009
With only 10 points separating Gambhir from third-placed Kumar Sangakkara of Sri Lanka, the top order is expected to change again, of course depending how the Pakistan and Sri Lanka captains perform in the third and final Test which starts in Colombo from July 20. The only big movers in the latest rankings are Pakistan opener Fawad Alam, who has entered the table in 52nd position after his 168 on his Test debut, and Bangladesh's Tamim Iqbal whose century in the second innings has helped him... (India Times, India)
Hot competition on KL-Chennai air route Jul 15, 2009
Flights originating from KL to Chennai via Singapore (Singapore Airlines and Tiger Airways), Bangkok (Thai Airways) and Colombo (Sri Lankan Airlines) are also popular ... Sri Lankan Airlines flies via Colombo which means you spend three hours waiting for your connection to Chennai ... But if you travel on Sunday, you have to spend a night in Colombo at your own cost. (The Star Online, Malaysia -- Business)
The Man Who Tamed the Tamil Tigers Jul 14, 2009
Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa in Colombo on July 10, 2009 Namas Bhojani for TIME ... In a rare, wide-ranging interview, Rajapaksa, 63, talked with TIME's Jyoti Thottam at the President's official compound in Colombo on July 10 ... No, but it's happening in Colombo. (Time.com)
Westminster students, alumni begin 1st Blue Jay Across USA tour Jul 11, 2009
who will be a Westminster senior this fall; and Madusha Mayadunne of Colombo, Sri Lanka, who will be a Westminster junior this fall. "Our Blue Jay Across the USA Road Trip is about uniting people all over the nation under one main theme -- celebrating our love for Westminster," says Campagna. (Fulton Sun, MO)
Fourth of July festivities around the area Jul 3, 2009
Lou Colombo will be the Grand Marshal. The parade route will start at the intersection of Ocean Street and Main Street and continue down to Sea Street and then cross over to South Street. (Somerville Journal, MA)
US travel advice upsets Sri Lanka Jul 1, 2009
By Charles Haviland BBC News, Colombo. Although the war is over, the US says that Sri Lanka remains dangerous. (BBC News -- South Asia)
SV council approves $99.7 million budget Jun 26, 2009
The Montebello and Carmel residents will soon be asked to join the city after the City Council approved efforts to annex the neighborhoods, north of Highway 90, between Colombo Avenue to Giulio Cesare Avenue. About 75 percent of residents who responded to a city mailing are interested in annexation, said Mary Jacobs, assistant city manager. (Sierra Vista Herald, AZ)
Child soldiers fight LTTE ghosts in Lanka Jun 24, 2009
"There are several such sad stories. But most children always have a smile on their faces," says commissioner-general for rehabilitation Suhada Gamalath, who is overseeing a rehabilitation centre in Ambepussa, an army base and a scenic tourist resort, 60km north of Colombo ... "We strongly advocate psychiatric counselling for these children," says Andy Brooks, the Colombo-based chief of child protection, UNICEF, pointing out that the government was doing its best to ensure that the children's... (India Times, India)
Free female condoms? Jun 24, 2009
Last Updated: 08:43am 24 Jun 2009. R3,000 free @ Prestige Casino. (iAfrica.com)
Transcript of IMF's Bi-Weekly Press Briefing by Caroline Atkinson, Director of External Relations Department Jun 20, 2009
The first question on Sri Lanka, I don't have anything new but the mission has been in Colombo to look at the safeguards assessment and so on and we basically have the same line as before that whenever there is final agreement then a program would go to the Executive Board, but we don't have that announcement to make now. I have a question online from the Media Briefing Center: "Russia not wants to join the WTO as part of the customs union with Belarus and Kazakhstan. Can you comment on this?". (IMF News)
Paramount to buy 10 A321 for $1.5bn Jun 20, 2009
In phase one, the airline will start services from Chennai to Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Colombo, Dubai, Doha, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah while in phase two Paramount will connect Chennai with Europe and the US.. M. Thiagarajan, managing director, Paramount Airways, said that the MoU marked an important landmark in "our expansion plans and in particular our goal to become a leading international carrier. The A321 will help us realise these ambitious and attainable goals and we are delighted... (India Times, India -- Intl Business)
America's 'Bermuda solution' angers Britain... Jun 16, 2009
America's 'Bermuda solution' angers Britain - Americas, World - The Independent. from The Independent & The Independent on Sunday. (The Drudge Report)
LTTE end: Lanka stages victory parade Jun 3, 2009
COLOMBO: Sri Lanka was on Wednesday staging a military victory parade in the capital Colombo to mark the defeat of the Tamil Tiger rebels, officials said ... Sri Lanka was on Wednesday staging a military victory parade in the capital Colombo to mark the defeat of the Tamil Tiger rebels, officials said. (India Times, India)
EDIT: After The War Jun 2, 2009
The ghosts of war have come to haunt Colombo ... Colombo has rubbished the news report as a figment of imagination and has refused to investigate the allegations ... The war against the LTTE has been won but Colombo has a battle ahead to win the minds of the Tamils. (India Times, India)
Rebel's parents in camp May 29, 2009
Menik Farm, 250 kilometres north of Colombo, is Sri Lanka's biggest war refugee complex housing some 200000 civilians. Government troops announced the defeat of the separatist rebels a little over a week ago. (iAfrica.com)
20,000 Tamil civilians killed in Lanka May 29, 2009
Blaming the civilian casualties on the LTTE rebels, authorities in Colombo have insisted that the army halted the use of heavy weapons on April 27 and observed the no-fire zone where 100,000 Tamil men, women and children were sheltering. However, the report claimed that aerial photographs, official documents, witness accounts and expert testimony present a clear evidence of an atrocity that comes close to matching Srebrenica, Darfur and other massacres of civilians. (India Times, India)
Job cut out for Krishna May 28, 2009
This could well be the trickiest proposition for S M Krishna, given that Colombo has so far deftly leveraged tacit Indian support for wiping out the LTTE while warding off international concern on the civilian disaster and paying lip service to the devolution of power question. There could well be a case for New Delhi to now fully use what influence it has to press Colombo on the latter issue. (India Times)
How Afghanistan's Little Tragedies Are Adding Up May 27, 2009
"" FRANCOISE MOULY, The New Yorker art editor, on artist Jorge Colombo using an iPhone to create the magazine's latest cover. More News. (Time.com)
Aid access after LTTE screening: SL May 24, 2009
COLOMBO: Sri Lanka said on Sunday it would allow UN aid workers access to civilians who remain in camps after the defeat of the Tamil Tigers, but only once rebels hiding among the refugees had been weeded out. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, on a visit to one camp housing 200,000 Tamils, had called for his staff to be given "unhindered access" to those displaced in the decades-long war, which ended a week ago. (India Times, India)
Prabhakaran cremated: Lankan army May 23, 2009
COLOMBO: Sri Lankan security forces have cremated the body of Tamil Tiger supremo Velupillai Prabhakaran, army chief Sarath Fonseka said in an interview to be published on Sunday. General Fonseka told the Sunday Rivira newspaper that positive identification of Prabhakaran's body came on Tuesday morning following heavy fighting in the northeastern Mullaittivu district the previous day. (India Times, India)
Displaced Tamils to be resettled by year-end: Official May 22, 2009
Rajapakse, brother of President Mahinda Rajapakse, said the government had the experience and ability to undertake the massive exercise because of what Colombo achieved after the killer tsunami. While many Tamils would be able to return to their original abode dominantly in the districts of Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu within 180 days, almost all others would get their homes back by Dec 31, 2009. (India Times, India)
India dispatches medical aid, doctors to Sri Lanka May 22, 2009
An Indian Air Force IL-76, captained by Wing Commander H P Kumar, took off with the relief material at around 0930 hours from the Palam air base here and is expected to reach Colombo by the afternoon. The team sent on Friday includes a surgeon, physician, anaesthetist and paramedical staff. (India Times, India -- Community News)
Sri Lanka: Relief And Worry At War's End May 22, 2009
(COLOMBO, Sri Lanka) The ice cream man went to work with dread every day at Colombo's main rail station, a prime target for suicide bombers who once killed several teenage baseball players on a platform in front of his stand ... Photographs this week of rebel chief Velupillai Prabhakaran's fatigues-clad body in the battlefield brought palpable comfort to Colombo, a city whose 800,000 residents grew accustomed to security blockades, an ever-present force of armed soldiers on the streets and... (Time.com)
Tamil diaspora calls Friday black day May 22, 2009
We will appeal to the international community to pressure Colombo to let in food, clothing and other basic amenities to the displaced people ... The Canadian ministers asked Colombo to immediately launch a political process to "ensure that all the people of Sri Lanka can live in safety and receive the full protection of their human rights and fundamental freedoms.". (India Times, India)
PM's special envoys meet Lankan President May 21, 2009
COLOMBO: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's special envoys M K Narayanan and Shivshankar Menon on Thursday met Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa and sought a political solution to the Tamil question while offering help in the reconstruction effort following elimination of the LTTE. ( ). National Security Adviser Narayanan and Foreign Secretary Menon, who arrived here yesterday, met Rajapaksa at a close door breakfast meeting at his Temple Trees residence. (India Times, India)
India to counter China presence in SL May 20, 2009
NEW DELHI: India will tell Sri Lanka that it has a definite interest in helping the island nation take on reconstruction and will be actively engaged in helping Colombo ... Over the past few years, China has stepped in as one of Colombo's largest defence suppliers after India found itself constrained from giving offensive weaponry and other defence assistance to Sri Lanka for the current conflict ... What India will initially be looking for are some quick steps that can be taken by the executive... (India Times)
Death of Tamil leader leaves followers confounded May 20, 2009
Some were also held in thrall by Mr. Prabhakaran's status as a highly prized fugitive, earned after his first political assassination he shot the Tamil mayor of Jaffna for being too co-operative with the Sinhalese-led government in Colombo in 1975, when he was just 20. There is an admiration, but there is also a sense of responsibility and protection towards him that they feel, said another Toronto man, who served two years with the Tigers, describing his unit's first meeting with the leader in... (Globe and Mail)
National holiday in Sri Lanka today May 20, 2009
COLOMBO: Sri Lanka marked victory over Tamil Tiger rebels with a national holiday on Wednesday, though security forces were on a state of high alert against revenge attacks. The holiday was to celebrate the military defeat of the Tigers after decades of bloodshed on the island, a government official said. (India Times, India)
Bring refugees to Canada, Ottawa urged May 19, 2009
Canadian immigration officials in Colombo are expediting applications coming from the danger zone, said Alykhan Velshi, a spokesman for Immigration Minister Jason Kenney, in an e-mail, adding Ottawa is doing its part to mitigate the humanitarian catastrophe, as well as support Tamil-Canadians hoping to be reunited with their families ... Mr. Poopalapillai called on the Canadian government to pressure Colombo to reach a political settlement with its Tamil minority, who have long claimed... (Globe and Mail)
Prabhakaran alive, claims pro-LTTE website May 19, 2009
COLOMBO: A pro-LTTE website, Tamilnet. com, on Tuesday claimed that the Tamil Tigers supremo Velupillai Prabhakaran is still "alive and safe", a day after Sri Lankan army announced that it has killed the top rebel leader. (India Times, India)
EDIT: Death & Reconciliation May 19, 2009
Colombo announced on Monday that its army had shot dead the top leadership of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), including Velupillai Prabhakaran ... Colombo may have reason to be happy about its military success against the LTTE but it must refrain from adopting a triumphal approach towards the minority Tamil population ... The end of the LTTE must be seen as the beginning of a new phase, in which Colombo's emphasis should be on winning the trust of the beleaguered Tamils who have... (India Times, India)
Rajapaksa mum on Prabhakaran May 19, 2009
COLOMBO: Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Tuesday declared that the war against the LTTE was over as he reached out to the Tamil population saying their protection was the responsibility of his government. Rajapaksa spoke to a rapt assembly of lawmakers a day after government forces killed the last of the rebels' fighters on the battlefield in the north. (India Times, India)
Prabhakaran's son killed: Sri Lanka military May 18, 2009
COLOMBO: Sri Lanka's military said on Monday that troops had killed three senior Tamil Tiger militants and found the body of the son of the rebels' leader in mopping-up operations after the movement's defeat ... The capital Colombo, which has been frequently hit by Tiger suicide attacks over the past quarter century, saw street celebrations which lasted well into Sunday night. (India Times, India)
Tiger leader Prabhakaran killed: Lanka army sources May 18, 2009
COLOMBO: Tamil Tiger leader Vellupillai Prabhakaran's body has been recovered from an ambulance troops destroyed as it sped out of the war zone early on Monday, military sources said. "It was confirmed Prabhakaran was killed when trying to flee in an ambulance before dawn. We are waiting for the official announcement by the president," a military source said on condition of anonymity. (India Times, India)
Tamil Tigers' leader dead? May 18, 2009
The capital Colombo, which has been frequently hit by Tiger suicide attacks over the past quarter century, saw street celebrations which lasted well into Sunday night. Authorities have been determined to capture, kill or recover Prabhakaran's body amid fears his escape may lead to an attempt to rebuild the LTTE and usher in a new cycle of violence. (iAfrica.com)
All civilians out of war zone: Lankan army May 17, 2009
COLOMBO: The last remaining civilians trapped by the fighting in northern Sri Lanka poured out of the war zone on Sunday, clearing the way for government forces to wipe out the remaining pockets of rebel resistance, the military said. Troops killed at least 70 rebels trying to escape the war zone on Sunday, the military said. (India Times, India)
Sri Lankan president declares victory as battles continue May 17, 2009
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka Sri Lanka's president declared victory Saturday in his nation's quarter century civil war with the Tamil Tigers rebels. But the group's top leaders remained at large as troops and the cornered insurgents fought fierce battles across the war zone. (Globe and Mail)
Analysis: Sri Lanka war persists despite criticism May 16, 2009
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - Western diplomats pushed for a cease-fire in Sri Lanka ... "The lingering sympathy for Sri Lanka as a state battling a ruthless terrorist organization has muted" some of the criticism, said Alan Keenan, the International Crisis Group's senior analyst in Colombo ... Wanted posters have sprung up across Colombo accusing British Foreign Secretary David Miliband and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton of "aiding and abetting terrorism.". (Mattoon Journal-Gazette, IL)
Sri Lanka military cuts off rebel sea escape May 16, 2009
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka Sri Lanka's military said it took control of the island's entire coastline Saturday and cut off any sea escape for Tamil Tiger leaders trapped in a tiny slice of remaining rebel territory. The latest military success came after President Mahinda Rajapaksa declared that his soldiers would end the island's bloody civil war in 48 hours, a deadline that ends Saturday. (Globe and Mail)
'LTTE will be stamped out in 48 hrs' May 16, 2009
COLOMBO: As thousands of trapped civilians continued to flee the war zone, Sri Lankan government on Friday said the LTTE would be stamped out within the next 48 hours, signalling that a final offensive against the Tiger was on. President Mahinda Rajapaksa has vowed that within the next 48 hours, thousands of Tamil civilians will be freed from the clutches of the Tamil Tigers, a government spokesman said. (India Times, India)
Nepal's Maoists cry Indian foul play May 15, 2009
In the early 1980s, Delhi took a deliberate decision to start a quarrel with Sri Lanka's Western-oriented leadership in Colombo ... Delhi wanted the unhelpful leadership in Colombo to be put in its place - like the Maoists in Kathmandu who showed the audacity to warm up to China's friendly overtures ... If so, Delhi truly underestimated the tenacity of the Colombo political elite to hit back. (Asia Times Online)
Sri Lankan military fights to surround rebels May 15, 2009
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - Sri Lankan forces battled Friday to take complete control of the country's coastline and surround the reeling Tamil Tigers in a final push to destroy the rebel group and end the country's civil war, the military said. As the fighting raged, hundreds of desperate war refugees escaped the war zone and a top U.N. official headed here on an urgent mission to safeguard the tens of thousands of civilians still trapped amid the heavy shelling. (Mattoon Journal-Gazette, IL)
