Peter Apps

Food, oil price rises worse than war for Lankan economy

Apr 22

High global food and fuel prices are damaging Sri Lanka's economic growth more than its ongoing civil war, the central bank governor said on Tuesday, but shrugged off suggestions it could miss a 7 percent target.

The Asian Development Bank said earlier this month growth would probably slow to 6 percent this year and next on high interest rates and global economic weakness.

Slain Tiger was public face of LTTE

Almost always smiling, smartly dressed and carrying a polished cane, S.P. Tamilselvan was the key contact point between Sri Lanka's Tamil Tigers and the outside world.

Killed on Friday in a government air strike, the leader of the Tigers' political wing was the public face and mouthpiece of the LTTE who met foreign diplomats and reporters denied access to reclusive leader Velupillai Prabhakaran when they visited the de facto capital Kilinochchi.

Fighting shatters strained ethnic relations

‘Now we cannot trust them’

Truce monitors see army hand in civilian killings

“We have very strong indications that at least part of the government troops have been involved in these killings”

Conflict still dominates life in Tamil areas

“We are safe because the LTTE is here. But we need more. We cannot go out and fish in case the navy take us away.”

Solheim: peace needs patience

‘It will not be sorted out in a few months. If this was easy to solve, it would have been solved a long time back.’