Lankapress COLOMBO, August 29 : Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels Friday accused government forces of setting off a roadside bomb and killing two civilians inside guerrilla-held territory.

A man and a child died when their motorcycle was caught up in the bomb attack at Nedunkerni in the vast Wanni region on Thursday evening, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) said in a statement.

"A farmer and a boy were killed in a claymore attack by the Sri Lanka army in Olumadhu in Nedunkerni on Thursday," the statement said, adding that most of the residents of Nedunkerni were displaced as a result of ongoing fighting.

The military routinely denies that it carries out attacks against civilians inside Tamil Tiger-controlled areas.

The Tiger statement came a day after Sri Lanka appealed to minority ethnic Tamil civilians living in rebel-held towns to move to areas under government control.

Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse said the military had cleared a route for people fleeing the island's embattled north, where troops are advancing on the rebel capital of Kilinochchi, 330 kilometres (205 miles) north of Colombo.

UN aid agencies say nearly 135,000 people have been driven from their homes due to fierce fighting in the past two months.

Sri Lankan troops have been pushing deeper into rebel-held territory as they try to dismantle the LTTE's northern stronghold. They ejected the guerrillas from the east of the island in July 2007.

Tens of thousands have died on both sides since the LTTE launched a separatist campaign in 1972 for a homeland for minority Tamils in the island's north and east. (AFP) Back...

Lankapress COLOMBO, August 28 : Sri Lanka on Thursday appealed to minority ethnic Tamil civilians living in the line of fire in rebel-held towns to move to areas under government control, saying it would guarantee them safe passage.

Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse said the military had cleared a route for people fleeing the island's embattled north, where troops are advancing on the rebel capital of Kilinochchi, 330 kilometres (205 miles) north of Colombo.

"We plan to give passage to people from Kilinochchi to come to (government-held) Vavuniya. We're dropping leaflets from the air, encouraging people to leave, giving details of routes to take to safety," Rajapakse said.

UN aid agencies say nearly 135,000 people have been driven from their homes due to fierce fighting between government forces and Tamil Tiger separatist rebels in the past two months.

"It's better for civilians to come to government-cleared areas so we can start to resettle them faster," said Rajapakse, the younger brother of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse.

His comments came as the defence ministry said at least 37 rebels from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and five government soldiers were killed in the latest clashes in the north on Wednesday.

The latest fighting brought the number of rebels killed by troops since January to 6,167, according to government figures. The government says 581 of its troops have died over the same period. Casualty figures cannot be verified as the military blocks media access to frontlines.

Sri Lankan troops have been advancing deeper into rebel-held territory as they push to dismantle the LTTE's northern stronghold after ejecting the guerrillas from the east of the island in July 2007.

Sri Lanka has poured a record 1.5 billion dollars into the war effort this year in a bid to secure a military victory over the rebels.

Rajapakse said the military campaign against the rebels was "on track" but refused to give a time frame for capturing Kilinochchi.

"The ground terrain in the north is quite different... it's foolish to give a time frame as to when the operations will end. It depends on the LTTE's breaking point," Rajapakse said. His ministry said earlier this month that troops were just 12 kilometres from the rebel capital.

Defence analysts said government forces would face a tougher challenge as they near Kilinochchi, as they would no longer be able to use heavy artillery and air attacks. "They will have to rely more on infantry," said retired brigadier general Vipul Boteju. "We are getting to the stage of close-quarter fighting and that is when we can expect more casualties." Rajapakse dismissed the LTTE's use of light aircraft to carry out air strikes, like one Tuesday on the main naval base in the northeastern town of Trincomalee, in which 10 sailors were wounded.

"The air raid had a psychological effect. It will not change the military balance. Nothing drastic happened. It is not a problem," he said.

Tens of thousands have died on both sides since the LTTE launched a separatist campaign in 1972 for a homeland for minority Tamils in the island's north and east. (AFP) Back...

Lankapress COLOMBO, August 26 : Rights groups on Tuesday denounced Sri Lanka's use of tough prevention of terrorism laws against a veteran journalist reporting on the island's decades-old ethnic conflict.

The condemnation came a day after authorities formally charged J.S. Tissanayagam with inciting racial hatred and bringing disrepute to the government.

The journalist, who has been in detention since being arrested in March, is also accused of supporting terrorism by collecting money from donors to publish his website in the country racked by deadly civil war.

The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said it condemned the Colombo High Court's indictment of Tissanayagam.

The journalist was brought to court to hear the charges and a hearing was slated for next month. He has denied all the accusations.

"We condemn J.S. Tissanayagam’s long detention and harsh charges for publishing a magazine which should not constitute an offence," said Bob Dietz, CPJ Asia Program Coordinator.

"This is the latest step by the Sri Lankan government to intimidate journalists who write about security issues," he said.

Tens of thousands of people have died since the the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) launched a separatist campaign in 1972 to carve out a homeland for minority Tamils in the majority Sinhalese island's north and east.

Sri Lanka's Free Media Movement also denounced the use of the Prevention of Terrorism Act against Tissanayagam, an ethnic Tamil, for an article he wrote in 2006.

Under the act, there is no upper limit on prison terms for those found guilty. The state can also confiscate the property of those convicted.

Reporters Without Borders has also condemned the journalist's incarceration. Media rights activists have described Sri Lanka as one of the most dangerous places in the world for journalists due to a worsening climate of violence and unofficial censorship. Killings and attacks against journalists remain unsolved, leading to fears that media freedom is being violently suppressed through threats, abductions and attacks, a team of media activists said last year.

Since August 2005, 12 media workers have been killed in Sri Lanka, regarded as the second most dangerous place for journalists after Iraq.

Eleven of them died in government-controlled areas and no one has been brought to justice in connection with the deaths.(AFP) Back...

Lankapress COLOMBO, July 31 : South Asian leaders are set for a weekend summit in Colombo where they are expected to repeat pious platitudes, highlighting that the 23-year-old regional grouping has little to show by way of economic progress.

Observers compare summits to movie productions, but the script has changed little since the first SAARC meeting in 1985 with poverty still rife in the region.

More than three-quarters of South Asia's 1.5 billion people earn less than two dollars a day, according to the World Bank.

Modelled ambitiously on the lines of the European Union and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation or SAARC is dismissed by critics as a talking shop.

Its objectives are poverty eradication, increasing economic cooperation along with forging a common South Asian identity, free trade and moving towards a common currency.

But 23 years and 14 summits later, SAARC, which groups Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, has not much to display by way of results, raising questions about its usefulness.

"Politics have hijacked SAARC's economic agenda," HSBC economist Arjunna Mahendran said.

Also the region dislikes India's economic clout, analysts say.

"The regional formation hasn't taken off for a simple reason: India is the dominant economic power" and smaller members resent the fact, said Indian political analyst Kalim Bahadur.

Cordial handshakes and smiles at photo opportunities notwithstanding, SAARC leaders who are due to open their two-day summit Saturday are divided by longstanding rivalries and deep-seated mistrust.

Deep-seated hostility between India and Pakistan have paralysed key economic pacts including the setting up of a free trade area.

Indian officials say Bangladesh and Nepal are reluctant to deepen their trade engagement with India, fearful of Indian goods flooding their markets and overwhelming their domestic industries.

New Delhi accuses militant groups based in Pakistan and Bangladesh of involvement in bomb attacks across India and has been going slow on liberalising travel rules.

Tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan too are simmering with Kabul accusing Islamabad of supporting the Taliban which is leading an insurgency against the Afghan government.

Ironically, some of the harshest critics of the grouping over the years have been SAARC leaders themselves.

Former Sri Lankan president Chandrika Kumaratunga has complained that India-Pakistan issues overshadow summits at the expense of other issues.

More than a decade ago at the 1997 summit, Maldivian President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom said "concrete steps must be taken now to strengthen and revitalise SAARC."

Then Nepalese premier Girija Prasad Koirala said at the SAARC summit in New Delhi last year the region's "low social indicators" served as "a stark reminder to us about our situation."

"Despite a galloping economic growth rate, the incidence of poverty in the region is still one of the highest in the world. Our challenge is thus to confront it with single mindedness," he said.

Though SAARC has poverty eradication high on its agenda, the Sri Lankan government is spending lavishly on banquets and parties and has brightened the city with fairy lights.

Colombo's shanty towns have also been demolished for the summit.

The poor shanty dwellers have been hastily relocated "while programmes of magnificence are laid out for SAARC delegates," former Sri Lankan senior information ministry bureaucrat Manel Abhayaratna said in a column in the Island newspaper earlier this week.

"The 15th SAARC summit is taking on the proportions of an MGM production," said former Sri Lankan diplomat Nanda Godage.

SAARC needs to "transform" from a "pious talk shop and a non-compliance-conventions-and-agreements-organisation" into one with more relevance, he said.

After the many summits, "I do believe the peoples of our countries have a right to demand an audit and take remedial action," Godage added. (AFP) Back...

Lankapress COLOMBO, July 30 : Twenty-one Tamil rebels and four government troops were killed in fresh fighting in Sri Lanka's embattled north as the nation readied to host a summit of regional leaders, officials said Wednesday.

Colombo will be the venue for the two-day summit of leaders of the 15th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), which opens Saturday amid extraordinary security.

In other fighting, Sri Lankan war planes on Wednesday bombed a suspected Tiger base in the north, but there were no immediate reports of casualties. There was also no word from the separatist guerrillas about the air attacks.

However, defence ministry officials said 21 Tamil Tigers were slain in clashes Tuesday in the northern Wanni region 250 kilometres (160 miles) north of the capital.

Four soldiers also died, officials said, adding that fighting raged in the north where troops were advancing into territory held by the guerrillas.

The government last month rejected a rebel offer for a brief unilateral ceasefire for the summit, and has kept up military raids on insurgent positions in the decades-old conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of lives.

The report of new deaths comes as officials of the eight-nation South Asian grouping were in the second day of talks to lay the groundwork for the summit, which will focus on trade and terrorism.

The officials will meet Thursday to review the agenda for their leaders.

The leaders of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, The Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka will attend the summit.

The government has stepped up security across the capital for the SAARC meeting, which Colombo is hosting at a cost of nearly three billion rupees (28 million dollars).

More than two-thirds of the budget is being spent on security to protect visiting delegates to the capital, which has experienced a spate of deadly bombings blamed on the rebels.

Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollegama has promised "ultimate security" for the dignitaries.

The military has claimed the upper hand in the fight against the rebels after driving them from their eastern stronghold last year, but analysts do not see a swift end to the conflict.

Tuesday's fighting raised the number of rebels killed by government troops since January to 5,387, while 475 soldiers have died in combat during the same period, according to a defence ministry tally.

Independent verification of the numbers is impossible since the ministry refuses to allow journalists access to the front lines.

The Tigers are fighting for a separate homeland in the majority Sinhalese nation. (AFP) Back...

Lankapress COLOMBO, July 29 : Sri Lankan troops have killed at least 34 Tamil Tiger rebels and lost three of their own in the latest reported clashes in the island's north, the defence ministry said Tuesday.

Security forces fought with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the northern Wanni region where they have been trying to advance into rebel-held territory for weeks, the ministry said.

It said an estimated 37 guerrillas were also wounded in the clashes on Monday while security forces suffered another 11 wounded.

However, the LTTE said they beat back an army offensive on Monday, killing five soldiers and injuring seven others. The rebels did not give their own casualties.

The rebels also accused the military of firing heavy artillery and rockets into areas under their control on Sunday and Monday, despite the LTTE offer of a 10-day truce in place ahead of a South Asian meeting that began here Sunday.

Monday's fighting raises the number of rebels killed by government troops since January to 5,366, while 471 soldiers have died in combat in the same period, according to a tally of defence ministry claims.

However, the ministry blocks access for journalists to visit frontlines, making it difficult to independently verify casualty numbers.

Meanwhile, foreign secretaries of SAARC member states opened their formal talks at a tightly-guarded conference venue here ahead of a two-day summit on August 2.

The meeting of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) will draw more than 1,000 delegates from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. (AFP) Back...

Lankapress COLOMBO, July 28 : The People's Liberation Front (JVP) continuing its anti-Indian policies charged that India has intensified its unnecessary interference in Sri Lankan politics and the economy under Mahinda Rajapaksa administration.

JVP Propaganda Secretary Vijitha Herath said the situation is worse than it was during J.R. Jayewardene administration in 1987 and accused the government of being spineless to counter such interventions.

Mr. Herath said under this intensified interference India has already jeopardized the sovereignty of Sri Lanka in many ways.

"We speculated that the Eastern Provincial election was held to cater to the needs of the Indian government and now we were proven right as Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh expressing his anticipation to meet Eastern Province Chief Minister Pillayan," he added. Back...

Lankapress COLOMBO, July 9 : At least 22 Tamil Tiger rebels and two government soldiers have died in the latest clashes in northern Sri Lanka, the island's defence ministry said Wednesday.

The fighting, which took place on Tuesday, was centred around the Weli Oya, Vavuniya and Mannar regions, the statement said.

The rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) did not comment on Tuesday's fighting.

But guerrillas said 50 civilians were killed in the rebel-held north in June, including seven who died in roadside mine attacks blamed on army commandos.

Casualty figures given by either side cannot be independently verified as the defence ministry bars journalists and rights groups from travelling to the frontlines.

The latest figures given by the ministry raises the number of rebels killed by government forces to 4,811 since January, while 432 soldiers have died in the same period. (AFP) Back...

Lankapress COLOMBO, July 8 : Sri Lanka's main opposition Tuesday accused the country's military chief of orchestrating violent attacks on journalists critical of its battle against Tamil separatists.

Opposition MP Joseph Michael Perera told parliament that a recent wave of beatings and other violence against journalists was carried out by a "special team" under the head of the army.

"We are told by those in the army itself that journalists are abducted and subjected to grievous injury by none other than a special unit under the army commander," Perera, the former parliamentary speaker, said. Perera urged "the government to arrest the offenders and bring them to justice." Army spokesman brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara denied the army was involved. "We have nothing to do with the attacks against journalists," he said. "If the MP has evidence, he must present it to the police."

The claims came amid mounting international concern for press freedom in the island nation, where government forces have been locked in battle with Tamil separatist rebels in a drawn-out conflict that has claimed thousands of lives.

Since August 2005, 12 media workers have been killed in Sri Lanka. Eleven of them died in government-controlled areas, and no one has been brought to justice in connection with the killings.

A journalist and a senior officer of the British High Commission (embassy) were beaten up and their car smashed in the capital last week, six days after Colombo set up a cabinet-level panel to prevent attacks on media personnel.

Freelance defence analyst Namal Perera escaped the apparent abduction attempt, but was hospitalised after being assaulted with iron bars and sticks. High Commission political officer Mahendra Ratnaweera suffered head injuries. Both have since been released from hospital.

Newspaper publishers have offered a reward of five million rupees (46,000 dollars) for information leading to the arrest of those responsible.

Media activists in Sri Lanka have said they are organising a boycott of the upcoming South Asian summit in Colombo in protest at the escalating attacks. The Lakbima News weekly said several media outlets have agreed in principle not to cover the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) on August 1, without naming the groups involved. (AFP) Back...

Lankapress COLOMBO, July 6 : Sri Lanka's Tamil Tigers on Sunday commemorated 356 men and women who have staged suicide attacks since the tactic was first used by the rebels 21 years ago.

The rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) said they held ceremonies in guerrilla-held Wanni region on Saturday to mark the 21st anniversary of the first suicide truck bombing by a cadre known as Captain Miller.

The elusive Tiger supremo, Velupillai Prabhakaran, 53, led the remembrance ceremonies at an undisclosed location with the participation of his elite "Black Tiger" suicide cadres, the pro-rebel Tamilnet.com web site reported.

"Three hundred and fifty six Black Tigers have laid down their lives, 254 of them in sea operations, during the last 21 years since," Tamilnet said.

Last year, the Tigers commemorated 322 suicide bombers who perished in attacks. Their figures showed that 34 suicide bombers had carried out attacks in the past year. An attack on a key air base in October was the worst, with 21 suicide bombers destroying a fleet of aircraft.

One rebel later returned to the north with video footage of the attack, while the others were shot dead or blew themselves up.

Sri Lanka has been wracked by civil war for more than three decades. The rebels are fighting for an independent homeland for minority Tamils on the Sinhalese-majority island in a conflict that has claimed thousands of lives.

Although not credited with starting the lethal method, the Black Tigers have staged some of the world's most brazen attacks and are described as the most effective unit of its type anywhere in the world.

The Tigers used a large number of suicide bombers to destroy a large fleet of military aircraft at a base in July 2001 and went onto the adjoining international airport and bombed six civilian airliners parked there.

The guerrillas boast that there is a scramble to go on suicide attacks, given that the chosen few are entertained to a last supper with the supremo -- a high point in a rebel's short but effective career.

Sympathisers say Prabhakaran is a charismatic leader who motivates his cadres to lay down their lives for his cause.

Even those who are not in the Black Tiger squads carry a cyanide capsule to commit suicide in case they are captured. (AFP) Back...

Lankapress COLOMBO, July 5 : With all set for the SAARC summit to be held in Colombo by end of this India is yet to confirm its participation due to security reasons. It was learnt that India is still reviewing the current security situation in Sri Lanka, especially in Colombo for its leaders to attend the summit. This uncertainty of India about attending the SAARC summit leaves Sri Lanka's chance of being SAARC president at a bay. According to the SAARC convention the summit could not be held if one country did not attend.

Leaders of India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, the Maldives and Afghanistan are expected to attend the summit, along with an estimated 3000 others, including officials, security personnel and journalists. Back...

Lankapress COLOMBO, July 4 : Sri Lankan security forces shot dead at least another 32 Tamil Tiger rebels and lost two of their own soldiers in fresh fighting in the island's north, the defence ministry said Friday.

Troops killed the 32 members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and wounded another 37 in the districts of Vavuniya, Mannar, Mullaitivu and Jaffna on Thursday, the ministry said.

It said two government soldiers were killed and 15 wounded. There was no immediate word from the LTTE on the latest violence.

The defence ministry's claim takes the number of rebels reported killed by government troops since the beginning of the year to 4,701 against the loss of 424 soldiers.

Government figures cannot be independently verified as journalists are barred from visiting frontline areas. Sri Lanka has been wracked by civil war for more than three decades. The rebels are fighting for an independent homeland for minority Tamils on the Sinhalese-majority island. (AFP) Back...

Lankapress COLOMBO, July 3 : The United States said Thursday it had "strong concerns" about Sri Lanka's deteriorating human rights record and escalating attacks on the local media.

Deputy assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asian affairs Evan Feigenbaum expressed US concerns to Sri Lankan authorities during his four-day visit which ends Thursday.

"We continue to have strong concerns about human rights and pressures on the media," Feigenbaum said.

He noted, however, the formation of a ministerial committee to address concerns raised by journalists over their safety and independence.

A journalist and a senior officer of the British High Commission (embassy) were beaten up and their car smashed in the capital on Monday, just six days after the cabinet panel was set up to protect media personnel.

Freelance defence analyst Namal Perera escaped the apparent abduction attempt, but is still in hospital after being assaulted with iron bars and sticks. High Commission political officer Mahendra Ratnaweera suffered head injuries, but is out of hospital.

In a separate reaction, the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said the attack was "yet another example of the violence and intimidation aimed at journalists in Sri Lanka." "The government is responsible for the culture of impunity that surrounds violence against journalists," it said. "It is time to reverse that ugly reality."

Newspaper publishers have offered a reward of five million rupees (46,000 dollars) for information leading to arrest of those responsible for the attack.

Since August 2005, 12 media workers have been killed in Sri Lanka. Eleven of them died in government-controlled areas, and no one has been brought to justice in connection with the killings.

Sri Lanka's bitter ethnic war, which has left tens of thousands of people dead, has escalated sharply since January, when the government pulled out of a Norwegian-brokered truce with the Tamil Tigers. (AFP) Back...

Lankapress COLOMBO, July 3 : Sri Lankan security forces shot dead at least 26 Tamil Tiger rebels in fresh fighting in the island's embattled north, the defence ministry said Thursday.

Troops killed the 26 members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the districts of Vavuniya, Mannar and Mullaitivu on Wednesday, the ministry said, adding that security forces suffered six soldiers wounded.

There was no immediate word from the LTTE on the latest violence.

The defence ministry's claim takes the number of rebels reported killed by government troops since the beginning of the year to 4,669, against the loss of 422 soldiers.

Government figures cannot be independently verified as journalists are barred from visiting frontline areas.

Sri Lanka has been wracked by a bitter and bloody ethnic conflict for more than three decades. The rebels are fighting for an independent homeland for minority Tamils on the Sinhalese-majority island. (AFP) Back...

Lankapress COLOMBO, July 2 : Hundreds of Sri Lankan reporters and cameramen staged a protest outside President Mahinda Rajapakse's home Wednesday demanding an end to a wave of killings, abductions and assaults against journalists.

Media workers' associations peacefully demonstrated outside the main access to Rajapakse's Temple Trees residence while dozens of unarmed police stood behind yellow iron barricades.

"We have two simple demands: We want the killings and assaults to end. We want the government to stop the culture of impunity," said media rights activist Sunanda Deshapriya.

Journalists covering the government's escalating war against Tamil Tiger rebels have come under increasing pressure in recent months. The protest was sparked by the attack Monday on a British embassy political officer, Mahendra Ratnaweera, and independent defence writer Namal Perera, while driving on a busy street in Colombo.

Newspaper publishers Wednesday offered a reward of five million rupees (46,000 dollars) for information leading to arrest of those responsible for the attack. Perera was the acting director for media rights issues at the Sri Lanka Press Institute and also contributed to the local media writing on defence-related issues.

The assault came less than a month after the country's hawkish defence ministry launched scathing attacks against journalists critical of its war against the Tamil rebels, calling them "enemies of the state."

It also came days after the government moved to deflect a barrage of criticism over its press rights record by promising to help journalists who received death threats. Sri Lanka's main press rights group, the Free Media Movement (FMM), said it would treat the latest incident as a "litmus test" of the effectiveness of the high-powered ministerial committee appointed by President Rajapakse to prevent such attacks. The government says it is investigating the attack.

Perera and Ratnaweera were still in hospital Wednesday.

Perera has told reporters from his hospital bed that he locked himself in the car, but the attackers smashed windows and beat them until other motorists stopped and rushed to their help. However, the attackers escaped.

Since August 2005, 12 media workers have been killed in Sri Lanka. Eleven of them died in government-controlled areas and no one has been brought to justice in connection with the deaths.

Sri Lanka's bitter ethnic war, which has left tens of thousands of people dead, has escalated sharply since January, when the government pulled out of a Norwegian-brokered truce with the Tamil Tigers. (AFP) Back...

Lankapress COLOMBO, July 1 : A Sri Lankan military helicopter was hit by small arms fire in eastern Sri Lanka Tuesday as President Mahinda Rajapakse visited the region, officials said.

The Bell helicopter made an emergency landing in the district of Ampara where the president was visiting to launch a 10-million dollar US-gifted bridge that was rebuilt following tsunami damage in December 2004, an official said.

"The president was not flying at the time and he returned safely to Colombo after completing his visit," a senior government official said.

Military officials said there were no casualties and the attack was under investigation. The area had been seized back from Tamil rebel control a year ago and local elections held in May.

Government forces are locked in combat with Tamil Tiger rebels in the northern Sri Lanka where a daily death toll is reported. The rebels are fighting for a separate homeland for the island's Tamil minority.  (AFP) Back...

Lankapress COLOMBO, July 1 : Sri Lanka's main media rights group Tuesday condemned an assault on a journalist and a senior British High Commission officer and demanded that the attackers be brought to justice.

Political officer Mahendra Ratnaweera was severely injured in the Monday evening attack in Colombo while his passenger, freelance journalist and defence analyst Namal Perera, also suffered serious injuries.

"We will be closely monitoring the actions taken by the government to bring the perpetrators to justice in this latest criminal act," the Free Media Movement (FMM) said in a statement.

The attack came six days after Sri Lanka's government moved to deflect a barrage of international criticism over its press rights record by promising to help journalists receiving death threats.

The FMM said they will treat the latest incident as the "litmus test" of the effectiveness of the high-powered ministerial committee appointed by President Mahinda Rajapakse to prevent attacks against journalists.

Perera, 32, told reporters from his hospital bed that he locked himself in the car but the attackers smashed windows and beat them until other motorists stopped and rushed to their help.

However, the attackers escaped in their van. "They continued to beat us with batons and clubs and escaped when a large group of bystanders gathered," said Perera, who had been a defence analyst for a private newspaper. Both victims were admitted to a nearby private hospital and received treatment. Doctors said on Tuesday morning that the duo appeared to be stable, but were under observation in the intensive care unit.

British High Commissioner Peter Hayes condemned the attack and called on authorities to thoroughly investigate the incident and bring the culprits to justice.

"I condemn in the strongest terms this despicable act on innocent civilians," Hayes said in a statement. He stressed he was demanding a full investigation. Since August 2005, 12 media workers have been killed in Sri Lanka, which is regarded as the second most dangerous place for journalists after Iraq.

Eleven of them died in government-controlled areas and no one has been brought to justice in connection with the deaths.

Sri Lanka's bitter ethnic war, which has left thousands of people dead, has escalated sharply since January, when the government pulled out of a Norwegian-brokered truce with the Tamil Tigers. (AFP) Back...

Lankapress COLOMBO, June 30 : A senior British High Commission officer was beaten and his car smashed by unidentified attackers who tried to grab a reporter travelling as a passenger in the vehicle here Monday, police said.

Political officer Mahendra Ratnaweera was severely injured in the attack while his passenger, freelance journalist Namal Perera, also suffered serious injuries. Perera told reporters from his hospital bed that he locked himself in the car but the attackers smashed windows.

"They continued to beat us with batons and clubs and escaped when a large group of bystanders gathered," said Perera, who had been a defence analyst for a private newspaper.

Both were admitted to a nearby private hospital and received treatment.

The attack came just six days after Sri Lanka's government moved to deflect a barrage of criticism over its press rights record by promising to help journalists receiving death threats.

"This is a very serious matter and we will take all steps to get at the perpetrators," Media Minister Anura Yapa told AFP.

British High Commissioner (ambassador) Peter Hayes condemned the attack and called on authorities to thoroughly investigate the incident and bring the culprits to justice. "I condemn in the strongest terms this despicable act on innocent civilians," Hayes said in a statement. He stressed he was demanding a full investigation.

Since August 2005, 12 media workers have been killed in Sri Lanka, which is regarded as the second most dangerous place for journalists after Iraq. Eleven of them died in government-controlled areas and no one has been brought to justice in connection with the deaths.

Sri Lanka's bitter ethnic war, which has left thousands of people dead, has escalated sharply since January, when the government pulled out of a Norwegian-brokered truce with the Tamil Tigers. (AFP) Back...

Lankapress COLOMBO, June 30 : Sri Lanka's annual inflation hit a record 28.2 percent in June for the first time since its new price index was launched six years ago, official figures showed Monday.

The inflation rate was calculated using the New Colombo Consumer Price Index which tracks price movements since 2002, the statistics department said.

The NCCPI reached 205.9 in June, up from 160.6 in June last year, recording a 28.2 percent increase, the Census and Statistics department figures showed. The statistics department announced in May it was discontinuing the previous Colombo Consumer Price Index, which has been tracking price movements since 1952.

The government has declined to say why it started using the new index but critics say the move was aimed at showing a lower inflation rate.

Under the old index, inflation hit a decade-high of 29.9 percent in April.

Last month Sri Lanka increased state-set prices of diesel and gasoline in a response to galloping world crude oil prices, a move expected to further stoke inflation this year. It also recently sharply raised public transport costs.

Sri Lanka's economy has been hit by a long-running ethnic conflict with separatist Tamil Tiger rebels that has left tens of thousands of people dead. Sri Lanka has poured a record 1.5 billion dollars into the war effort this year, hoping for a quick end to the conflict, and analysts say its war spending has also been fuelling inflation. (AFP) Back...

Lankapress COLOMBO, June 30 : Sri Lanka's army chief said Monday his forces had wiped out the military capability of the Tamil Tigers, and that they needed just one more year to totally defeat the rebels.

Lieutenant General Sarath Fonseka said the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) guerrillas had been forced to resort to hit-and-run attacks.

"From about the beginning of the year, the LTTE has lost its conventional capability," Fonseka told Colombo-based foreign correspondents. "They are no longer fighting as a conventional army."

He said the Tigers were not using heavy artillery and mortars, but that there were clashes in the island's embattled northern areas on a daily basis.

"We have already defeated them (as a conventional army). They have lost that capability. Although they are fighting with us, it is not in the same manner."

"Earlier, we couldn't move one kilometre for two, three months. That type of resistance is not there any more."

He estimated that the Tigers would lose even their current reduced capability in about a year but he cautioned that a Tigers' insurgency could rumble on indefinitely.

The Tamil Tigers still have a few fixed-wing planes and a formidable sea going capability, a rarity for any guerrilla outfit in the world. Led by 53-year-old Velupillai Prabhakaran, the LTTE also has a band of suicide bombers known for their spectacular strikes, including a damaging attack on the island's only international airport in July 2001.

General Fonseka himself narrowly escaped assassination in April 2006 when a woman suicide bomber targeted him inside the high-security army headquarters complex.

Fonseka said security forces had just wrested control over the entire coastal district of Mannar, along the north-western sea board of the island, after nine months of fighting which claimed the lives of 170 government troops. During the same period, the Tigers lost at least 2,000 fighters, Fonseka said, while revising upwards the current Tigers' strength to 5,000 combatants.

He admitted that previous military estimates of the Tiger strength had been too low.

He said the guerrillas had also been able to recruit more fighters despite losing an estimated 9,000 cadres -- according to the military -- since August 2006 when security forces stepped up an offensive.

During the same period, the military lost 1,700 soldiers killed and another 4,000 wounded, Fonseka said.

The rebels have not released their estimate of casualties. Figures from either side cannot be independently verified.

For the first time in the decades-old conflict, he said the Sri Lankan army was working to a set strategy. "We don't go for the territory, we go for the kill," he said. The objective of the Tigers, he said, was to capture the entire island and wipe out the majority Sinhalese community. (AFP) Back...

Lankapress COLOMBO, June 29 : At least 41 more Tamil Tiger rebels and two government soldiers have been killed in the latest fighting in Sri Lanka's north, the defence ministry said Sunday.

Troops shot dead 20 guerrillas in the district of Vavuniya on Saturday while 14 were killed in the neighbouring Weli Oya region, the ministry said, adding that another seven Tigers were killed in the coastal district of Mannar.

The ministry said 33 members of the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) were also wounded in Saturday's clashes with security forces. Two soldiers were killed and seven more wounded in the fighting, the ministry said. There was no immediate word from the Tigers on the latest violence.

The defence ministry claims raise the number of rebels reported killed by government troops since the beginning of the year to 4,586, against the loss of 418 soldiers. Government figures cannot be independently verified as journalists are barred from visiting frontline areas. (AFP) Back...

Lankapress COLOMBO, June 26 : At least 69 Tiger rebels and two soldiers have been killed in heavy fighting in Sri Lanka's north where security forces wrested more territory from the guerrillas, the defence ministry said Thursday.

Clashes since Tuesday saw troops take a seven-square-kilometre (2.7-square-mile) stretch of territory from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), the ministry said in a statement.

It said Mi-24 helicopter gunships were deployed Wednesday to hit LTTE positions, while ground troops kept up their advance in the coastal Mannar district.

There was no immediate word from the Tigers on the latest fighting, but the guerrillas in a statement said a civilian was killed in a mine attack carried out by government commandos inside rebel-held territory on Wednesday.

The defence ministry claims raise the number of rebels reported killed by government troops since the beginning of the year to 4,471 against the loss of 414 soldiers. Government figures cannot be independently verified as journalists are barred from visiting frontline areas. (AFP) Back...