The Sri Lankan Army’s 552 Division recently facilitated a medical camp for Tamil civilians in the town of Iyakkachchi, near Elephant Pass in Jaffna, says a report on the defence ministry’s website. The ministry claims over 900 Tamil civilians took part in the event, with the army transporting people to the school where the clinic was held . See here for full report on the defence ministry’s homepage.
Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr has pledged support for Sri Lanka to host 2013 Commonwealth heads of Government Meeting, whilst visiting the country. Speaking alongside Sri Lanka’s Minister of Foreign Affairs G L Peiris, Carr said , “Australia will be at the Commonwealth Summit next year and will provide Sri Lanka with the technical assistance necessary for a successful summit.” When questioned about Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s boycott call over Sri Lanka’s human rights situation, Carr responded, “There needs to be engagement with Sri Lanka by way of the Lessons Learnt and...
Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr has announced plans for Australia to help expand Sri Lanka’s spy network, as part of efforts to stem the flow of asylum seekers to the country. Carr announced that Australia would be providing extra surveillance equipment to Sri Lanka as well as hosting training programs on maritime surveillance for the Sri Lankan Navy. Speaking in Colombo he said , ‘‘We’re setting a clear agenda for intelligence sharing, naval co-operation and helping rebuild Sri Lanka - all designed to reduce people smuggling.”’ Carr also announced a $700,000 advertising campaign planned...
China has blocked a loan of over $69m, saying it will only release the funds once Sri Lanka pays fees to China’s state-run insurance company, reported The Sunday Times . Beijing is blocking the payments, demanding that 7% of the loan should be paid to the insurer Sinosure, although Sri Lanka has offered sovereign guarantees . The loan was offered by the state-run Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) to fund 90% of a hydro power project in the south of Sri Lanka. The power plant will be built by China National Electric Equipment Corporation (CNEEC), another Chinese state owned...
The Chief of the Indian Army, General Bikram Singh will visit Sri Lanka this week, with the intent of discussing ways to strengthen their bilateral defence ties. Despite strong opposition from Tamil Nadu political parties regarding Indian co-operation with Sri Lankan defence forces, the Indian Army chief will be looking to find ways to enhance the Sri Lankan Army’s training, military and hardware capabilities. General Singh is set to visit the newly established Sri Lankan army headquarters in the northern provinces. The 3-day visit is scheduled to start on December 18, and will include...
More arrests of Jaffna University students are feared, as Sri Lankan security forces claim those arrested had previous LTTE links. The police's media spokesperson SSP Prishantha Jayakody said , “All those arrested were involved with LTTE activities in the past and we are arresting them,” “It is a long process and we have been gathering intelligence on these people and the training they have undergone during the war for a long time, “We have identified the people already and they will be arrested from their homes or places of residence,”
The Canadian NDP MP for Scarborough-Rouge River, Rathika Sitsabaiesan, condemned the arrests and attacks on Jaffna university students by Sri Lankan security forces as a " clear assault on freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, and breach of human rights " and asserted it was " completely unacceptable ". In a statement published on Friday in English and Tamil, Sitsabaiesan called on the Canadian government to make clear to Sri Lanka that the international community " will not tolerate these oppressive measures ". "In Canada, our government must work with our partners in the international...
The European Union has announced it will assist 4,000 families to build permanent homes in their "villages of origin" in the North-East of Sri Lanka. EU Ambassador H.E. Bernard Savage said: "I am extremely pleased with the signature of this new agreement which constitutes the fourth major housing reconstruction programme funded by the EU since 2006. By 2015, the EU will have financially assisted 20,000 families in North and East Sri Lanka to rebuild their houses, many of whom have endured displacement for over a decade. "The EU's total contribution to housing will amount to approximately LKR...
The Sri Lankan have expressed concern at the launch of a rocket by North Korea earlier this week, in a statement released by the Ministry of External Affairs. The full statement says , "Sri Lanka is concerned at the launch of a rocket using ballistic missile technology by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, which is in violation of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1874. Recognizing the imperative need for dialogue and cooperation between the relevant stakeholders at this juncture, Sri Lanka urges the concerned parties to work in close coordination within the existing UN...
Sri lanka's state run Ceylon Petroleum Company has increased fuel prices by 6.7% to help stem further losses, an official announced on Saturday. The announcement was quickly followed by the country's only private sector fuel retailer, Lanka Indian Oil Company, deciding that it would also raise prices in line with the CPC. Managing director of CPC Susantha Silva stated that by the end of October, the state run firm had run up losses of 75 billion rupees. HE further said that despite the hike in prices, the company would still be losing 5 rupees per litre. Similiar prices hikes occured in...