Senior officials say Sri Lanka’s president has received Cabinet approval to order the release of the country’s former army chief who was jailed last year. Sarath Fonseka was convicted and sentenced to 30 months in prison for corruption in the procurement of arms and to three years in prison for making false allegations about the […]
Officials: Sri Lanka to Free Former Army Chief
Posted May 17th, 2012 at 12:40 pm (UTC-5)
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Doctor Strike in Sri Lanka Cripples Hospitals
Posted May 11th, 2012 at 9:10 am (UTC-5)
Doctors in Sri Lanka’s state-run hospitals have gone on strike to demand higher pay, crippling services at the country’s state-run hospitals. The Government Medical Officers’ Association said Friday’s one-day strike was organized after the government failed to fulfill its 2008 pledge to nearly double doctors’ salaries to roughly $220 a month. The work stoppage prevented […]
India May Back UN Resolution Against Sri Lanka Alleged War Crimes
Posted March 19th, 2012 at 3:45 pm (UTC-5)
India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh says his government may support a United Nations resolution criticizing Sri Lanka for alleged war crimes in the final stages of the country’s civil war. During a speech to parliament Monday, Mr. Singh said New Delhi is “inclined to vote in favor of the resolution that will, hopefully, advance our […]
India Parliament Wants Govt. to Take Stand on Alleged Sri Lanka War Crimes
Posted March 13th, 2012 at 2:25 pm (UTC-5)
India’s parliament on Tuesday tried to pressure the New Delhi government to take a firmer approach to allegations of war crimes in Sri Lanka in the final stages of the country’s civil war. Instead of debating scheduled budgetary issues, the parliament had to be suspended for several hours after lawmakers demanded action on an upcoming […]
Sri Lankans Protest US Support of War Crimes Resolution
Posted February 27th, 2012 at 2:10 pm (UTC-5)
Thousands of people took to the streets of Sri Lanka’s capital Monday to protest U.S. support of a proposed United Nations resolution condemning alleged human rights violations during the country’s civil war. The U.N. Human Rights Council is taking up the measure during a month-long session, which opened Monday in Geneva, Switzerland. Sri Lankan Cabinet […]
Sri Lankan Guards Open Fire on Rioting Prisoners
Posted January 24th, 2012 at 11:35 am (UTC-5)
Sri Lankan officials say guards have opened fire on prisoners during a riot that left least 28 people wounded. Tuesday’s clashes took place at the Magazine prison in the capital, Colombo. Four guards were among those hurt in the unrest. Authorities say rioting inmates set fire to a building to protest poor conditions at the […]
Sri Lankan Prison Riot Wounds 19
Posted January 24th, 2012 at 5:10 am (UTC-5)
Sri Lankan officials say guards opened fire during clashes with inmates at a prison in the capital Tuesday, wounding at least 19 prisoners. Officials said that the guards had been deployed to respond to the inmates, who had started a fire in the prison. The French news agency reported that the violence occurred at Colombo’s […]
Sri Lanka Orders 161Foreigners to Leave
Posted January 23rd, 2012 at 4:00 am (UTC-5)
Sri Lanka has ordered 161 foreigners to leave the country for propagating Islam, in violation of their tourist visas. An immigration official said the missionaries are members of Tabligh Jamat, a group founded in India to spread the teachings of Islam. He said the group included citizens of Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Pakistan, and some Arab […]
India Urges Sri Lanka to Work on Reconciliation Efforts
Posted January 17th, 2012 at 4:35 pm (UTC-5)
India’s External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna has urged the Sri Lankan government to forge ahead with political reconciliation steps recommended by a presidential inquiry into the final phase of the 25-year civil war that ended in 2009. Krishna met Tuesday with President Mahinda Rajapaksa in Colombo. He noted the constructive recommendations of the Lessons Learnt […]
Sri Lankan Ex-Army Chief’s Conviction Upheld
Posted December 16th, 2011 at 11:50 am (UTC-5)
A Sri Lankan court has rejected an appeal by the country’s former army chief and opposition leader. The unanimous decision Friday upholds Sarath Fonseka’s conviction and 30-month prison sentence for arms procurement offenses. The former general is also serving a three-year sentence for making false allegations about the defense secretary in a 2009 newspaper interview, […]
