|
|
Dozens killed in heavy fighting in Sri Lanka: ministry |
|
A ministry spokesman said 74 soldiers and about 100 rebels were also seriously wounded. The battle started when soldiers tried to move from the Muhamalai defence line on the northern Jaffna peninsula and advance into an area held by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The spokesman said 52 Tiger rebels and 15 government soldiers were killed in the clashes. However a military source told AFP that the security force casualties were 20 dead and 160 wounded. There was no immediate word from the Tigers about casualties. Both sides announced that heavy fighting broke out under the cover of darkness and raged for several hours. Meanwhile, security forces killed at least nine rebels in the north of the island on Tuesday, the defence ministry said, placing its own casualties at 10 soldiers injured on that day. The LTTE have been fighting since 1972 to carve out an independent homeland for minority Tamils in the north and east. Tens of thousands have died on both sides. Security forces have killed at least 3,025 rebels since the beginning of January, according to defence ministry figures, while 195 government soldiers have died in action during the same period. Both sides offer wildly fluctuating casualty figures which cannot be independently verified as Colombo bars media workers and rights groups from entering frontline areas.
(AFP)
|
Tamils claim destroyed tank, say Sri Lankan jets bombed church |
|
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) said one of its anti-tank units confronted the soldiers who were trying to break into rebel-held territory. The group gave no details of casualties, but said they beat back a military thrust following a 30-minute clash in the Jaffna peninsula. "The infantry-armour combined battle teams of the Sri Lanka army made this futile attempt with heavy indirect-fire assistance," the Tigers said. "The army teams were beaten back in a 30-minute repulse by the valiant LTTE defenders." There was no immediate reaction from the military, but the army said its chief, Lieutenant General Sarath Fonseka, was visiting the Jaffna peninsula Tuesday to assess the security situation in the region. Earlier, the LTTE accused the military of carrying out an air attack inside rebel-held territory, which killed one civilian and wounded two children at a church compound. "The Sri Lankan air force jet-interceptors have attacked a crowd of people who gathered at an old Catholic Church at Mullaitivu," it said in a statement without giving further details. There was no immediate comment on the reports from the authorities. The defence ministry announced the air force attacked a formation of rebel boats in the same area. The ministry denied Tiger claims that troops infiltrated a rebel-held area to set off a roadside mine that killed a Catholic priest on Sunday. Meanwhile, ground troops have captured more territory following a surprise assault against LTTE defences in the island's north, killing 17 guerrillas on Monday, the defence ministry said. Troops mounted the attack against a series of bunkers in the coastal Mannar district, the ministry said. According to ministry figures, security forces have killed at least 2,964 rebels since the start of January, while 180 government soldiers have died in action during the same period. Casualty tolls cannot be independently verified as Colombo bars journalists and aid workers from entering frontline areas. (AFP)
|
Foreign experts step up human rights criticism of Sri Lanka |
|
The International Independent Group of Eminent Persons (IIGEP) said Colombo lacked the political will to investigate grave rights abuses. The panel members spoke to reporters Tuesday for the first time after attacking Colombo in a statement last month for blocking efforts to ensure minimum standards were maintained in probing serious abuses. As their work progressed, the government's tone "was becoming increasingly disrespectful (of the experts)," British panel member Nigel Rodley said at the briefing. "They were accusing us of all kinds of nefarious stuff, including making way for an international panel to monitor the rights situation on the ground here. It's not true, the allegations are baseless," Rodley said. The IIGEP, which includes experts from the European Union, United Nations, Australia, Canada, India, France and the United States, was formed in 2007 to oversee a presidential commission of inquiry into 16 cases of major human rights abuses in Sri Lanka. Among the cases was the August 2006 massacre of 17 local aid workers attached to a French charity in the island's northeast. The evidence had pointed to the involvement of security forces and a state cover-up. "The commission of inquiry has been slow to respond to our recommendations. We don't see a point of carrying on our role further," said the panel's head, P.N. Bhagwati, a retired chief justice of India. Bhagwati accused Colombo of making little effort to enable the commission to maintain its independence in terms of funds to carry out field visits and hire its own legal counsel, without taking on the state attorney general (AG). "Hiring the state attorney general to provide counsel is a clear conflict of interest. The AG is an organ of the state, so is the army. Justice must not only be done, but must appear to be done," Bhagwati said. The panel also recommended the government set up a witness protection programme to encourage people to testify. "We conclude that the government as a whole does not have the necessary political will to implement our recommendations. We keep repeating the same recommendations over and over again," said professor Yozo Yokota of Japan. The Sri Lankan government has accused the IIGEP of working to an "international agenda" to force a UN human rights monitoring mission on Sri Lanka, a charge denied by the experts. Sri Lanka is under increasing pressure to clean up its record with rights groups saying that more than 1,500 people have disappeared in the past two years. Colombo pulled out of a tattered 2002 truce with Tamil rebels in January in the belief that it could defeat the guerrillas. The guerrillas are fighting a decades-long separatist war against Colombo in which tens of thousands have been killed.(AFP)
|
Sri Lanka threatens to use police against rice hoarders |
|
Consumer Affairs Minister Bandula Gunawardena ordered the police to use tough emergency laws to crack down on wholesale dealers who say they are unable to sell rice at prices specified by the government. On Thursday, Gunawardena set a maximum retail price of the most popular Samba rice at 70 rupees a kilogramme (65 US cents), but traders said it was blow their cost. The government has now set up a consumer court to punish dealers who violate the price ceiling. Those who hide stocks or mislead the public by selling at a higher price are breaking the law, Commerce Secretary R.M.K. Ratnayake said. "So far, we have not had to use force to break open rice stores. We are still talking to the traders to convince them to issue stocks at the new price," Ratnayake said. However, some wholesale shops in Colombo remained closed on Monday while talks were on to reach a price compromise. "We cannot sell our remaining stocks and suffer colossal losses," P.K. Samy, president of the Pettah Rice Traders Association said. He said the state-set price is 20 rupees (19 US cents) a kilogramme too low. Sri Lanka has experienced sharp food price rises with year-on-year inflation hitting 28.1 percent in March, its highest level in the past decade. The country is also seeking new rice supplies from Myanmar, India and Pakistan after recent rains damaged local crops. (AFP)
|
Tigers accuse Sri Lanka of killing priest, bombing civilians |
|
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) said Father M.X. Karunaratnam, who was also a top human rights campaigner, was killed in a roadside bomb attack carried out by government soldiers who infiltrated the Mallavi area. The priest headed the North East Secretariat on Human Rights, a group active in guerrilla-held Wanni region in the north of the island, the Tigers said in a statement. It said a "deep penetrating unit" of the Sri Lankan army carried out the killing, but there was no immediate word from the military. Security forces routinely deny carrying out attacks inside rebel-held territory. However, troops are leading a major offensive to break through rebel defences in Wanni in a bid to dismantle the guerrillas' de facto mini-state. Earlier Sunday, the defence ministry claimed its war planes bombed speed boats operated by Tamil Tiger rebels, but the guerrillas said only a village rebuilt after the December 2004 tsunami had been hit. Aircraft carried out the bombing raid in the seas off Mullaitivu on Saturday evening after spy planes spotted the rebel boat formation, the defence ministry said in a statement. "The air raid was successful," the statement said without giving details. The LTTE said two civilians were wounded in the air attack. "Many of the tsunami homes built with the assistance of the German Red Cross were damaged in this bombing," the Tigers said in a statement. "More than 20 boats and other fishing equipment belonging to the fishermen of the area were also destroyed." The air strike came as ground battles raged along front lines in Wanni where the military reported 14 Tigers killed on Saturday, a day after 30 rebels and one government soldier were killed in the same region. Unidentified gunmen also shot dead two public servants in the east of the island on Sunday, officials said. Security forces have killed at least 2,919 rebels since the start of January while 175 government soldiers have died in action during the same period, according to defence ministry figures. Casualty numbers cannot be independently verified as Colombo bars journalists and aid workers from travelling to embattled areas. Both sides are known to offer sharply varying casualty figures. Tens of thousands of people have died in over three decades of fighting.(AFP)
|
Sri Lanka jets bomb Tiger flotillas: military |
|
Aircraft carried out the bombing raid in the seas off Mullaitivu on Saturday evening after spy planes spotted the rebel boat formation, the ministry said in a statement. "The air raid was successful," the statement said without giving details. There was no immediate word from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) who are resisting a major military thrust against their de facto mini state in the Wanni, the northern part of the island. The air strike came as ground battles raged along front lines in the Wanni where the military reported that 28 rebels and one government soldier were killed on Friday alone. Security forces have killed at least 2,903 rebels since the start of January while 175 government soldiers have died in action during the same period, according to defence ministry figures. Casualty figures cannot be independently verified as Colombo bars journalists and aid workers from travelling to embattled areas. Both sides are known to offer sharply varying casualty figures. Tens of thousands of people have died in over three decades of fighting. (AFP)
|
Sri Lanka says 29 killed in fighting |
|
Security forces killed 25 members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Mannar district while three others were killed in nearby Weli Oya district on Friday, the ministry said. It said one soldier was killed in clashes in Weli Oya. There was no immediate word from the LTTE who have been locked in combat since 1972 to carve out an independent state for minority Tamils in the island's north and east. Security forces have killed at least 2,903 rebels since the start of January while 175 government soldiers have died in action during the same period, according to defence ministry figures. Casualty figures cannot be verified independently as Colombo bars journalists and aid workers from travelling to embattled areas. Both sides are known to offer sharply varying casualty figures. Tens of thousands of people have died in more than three decades of fighting.(AFP)
|
Iranian president to inaugurate construction of Sri Lanka power project |
|
Iran is paying for the 450-million-dollar Uma Oya power project which is slated to produce 100 megawatts of electricity annually. "The Iranian president will be arriving in Colombo on April 28 on a two-day state visit," junior Foreign Minister Hussain Baila said. The Iranian president is expected to travel to the deep south of the island for a ceremony launching the construction work, he said. "We have friendly relations with all the nations and Iran is one of our best friends," Baila said, adding that Iran was also expected to help Sri Lanka modernise its lone oil refinery. Energy-hungry Sri Lanka imports all its oil needs and the country's refinery is geared to handle Iranian light crude. (AFP)
|
Eight killed in fresh fighting: Sri Lanka military |
|
Two members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) were killed in the Mannar district while four others were killed in nearby Weli Oya district on Thursday, the ministry said. The fighting also claimed the lives of two government soldiers, the ministry said. There was no immediate reaction from the Tigers. The government says it has killed at least 2,875 rebels in ground battles since the start of the year while it says 174 government soldiers have died. Independent verification of casualty claims is impossible as Colombo bars journalists and aid workers from travelling to embattled areas. Tens of thousands of people have died since 1972 when the LTTE launched an armed struggle to carve out an independent homeland in the Sinhalese-majority island's north and east for ethnic Tamils.
(AFP)
|
Rebels refute Sri Lanka claim of bombing Tamil Tiger base |
|
Fighter jets carried out the bombing raid inside the rebel-held Wanni region, the defence ministry said. It said the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) had used the location as a "key logistics hub" for construction work. However, the Tigers countered that the aircraft had hit "several civilian huts." "One child was instantly killed and several civilian huts destroyed," the LTTE said in a statement. The government has been conducting daily air raids in the north, and says it has killed at least 2,869 rebels in ground battles since the start of the year, against a loss of 172 government soldiers. Verification of casualty claims is impossible as Colombo bars journalists and aid workers from travelling to embattled areas. Tens of thousands of people have died since 1972 when the LTTE launched an armed struggle to carve out an independent homeland in the island's north and east for ethnic Tamils. (AFP)
|
Sri Lanka withdraws two exploration blocks after too few bids |
|
Sri Lanka, which imports all its oil needs, offered three blocks to investors after seismic surveys showed oil deposits along the northwestern coast. Petroleum minister A.H.M. Fowzie said the government withdrew two out of the three blocks after drawing less interest than expected. It plans to finalise a partner for exploration in the other block which lies in the Gulf of Mannar close to neighbouring India, he said. That area, known as block one, drew bids from India's state-run ONGC Videsh, Cairn India -- a unit of British exploration firm Cairn Energy Plc, and Canada's Niko Resources, he said, adding the winner would be announced soon. "We're only evaluating the block for which we received three bids," the minister said. "We will award it to the bidder who will give most profits to the government," he said. Sri Lanka has already allocated two other blocks to the governments of India and China. Over 35 years ago, overseas companies explored areas off Sri Lanka's northwest coast, but failed to find any oil and gas reserves worth exploiting commercially.(AFP)
|