Sri Lankan officials say three baby elephants were killed Saturday when they were hit by a passenger train. Authorities say the three were killed in a forested area near Ambanpola, 150 kilometers north of the capital, Colombo. A railway official said the death of the elephants was the worst train accident involving wildlife. No passengers […]
3 Baby Elephants Killed by Sri Lankan Train
Posted June 18th, 2011 at 5:05 am (UTC-5)
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Tamil Lawmakers Claim Sri Lankan Police Abuse
Posted June 17th, 2011 at 8:40 am (UTC-5)
Sri Lanka’s main minority Tamil political party is accusing army soldiers of attacking its lawmakers during a meeting in the country’s former war zone. The Tamil National Alliance claimed that troops, armed with sticks, beat people at a party meeting Thursday night, including police bodyguards there to protect the lawmakers. The alleged incident took place […]
Lawmakers Say Sri Lankan Soldiers Attack Tamil Political Meeting
Posted June 16th, 2011 at 8:20 pm (UTC-5)
Sri Lanka’s main ethnic minority Tamil party says government troops have attacked its political meeting in the country’s former war zone in the north. Lawmakers from the Tamil National Alliance said Thursday dozens of soldiers armed with sticks attacked a group of supporters in the main town of Jaffna, ahead of local council elections scheduled […]
Britain Urged Not to Deport Tamils
Posted June 16th, 2011 at 11:25 am (UTC-5)
Amnesty International is urging Britain not to deport a group of Sri Lankans, because they risk torture when they return to their country. The rights group says Britain was set to return at least 20 Sri Lankans, mostly ethnic-Tamils, from London to Sri Lanka’s capital, Colombo, on Thursday. Amnesty’s Sri Lanka researcher, Yolanda Foster, says […]
Sri Lanka Rejects War Crimes Allegations
Posted June 15th, 2011 at 3:00 pm (UTC-5)
Sri Lanka says it “categorically denies” allegations of war crimes committed by government troops and is questioning the validity of a new documentary purportedly showing such rights violations. The Sri Lanka High Commission in London Wednesday criticized Britain’s Channel 4 for using video supplied by Tamil Tiger rebels or pro-rebel groups in the documentary, “Sri […]
Britain Urges Sri Lanka to Act on War Atrocity Claims
Posted June 14th, 2011 at 9:10 pm (UTC-5)
The British government on Wednesday pressed Sri Lanka to investigate allegations of atrocities committed during the final stage of its civil war, after Britain’s Channel 4 aired new footage of alleged war crimes. British Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt said a failure to probe the allegations at the end of the 25-year war with Tamil […]
Sri Lanka-India Ferry Service Resumes After 25 Years
Posted June 14th, 2011 at 8:55 am (UTC-5)
Ferry service has resumed between Sri Lanka and India for the first time in more 25 years after it was halted due to the island nation’s civil war. The 1,044-passenger Scotia Prince docked at Colombo’s port Tuesday after leaving the southern Indian port of Tuticorin. The Indian ferry will initially make two trips per week, […]
Monks Join Sri Lanka Pension Protest
Posted June 3rd, 2011 at 9:50 am (UTC-5)
Hundreds of Buddhist monks took to the streets of Sri Lanka’s capital on Friday to express solidarity with laborers protesting proposed changes to the government’s pension plan. The monks marched to Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s residence, carrying placards and denouncing this week’s government crackdown on demonstrators. Clashes broke out between police and labor union […]
Sri Lankan Police Chief Resigns After Protest Crackdown
Posted June 1st, 2011 at 12:20 pm (UTC-5)
Sri Lanka’s police chief has quit after taking responsibility for a violent crackdown on a labor protest that left one demonstrator dead and 200 injured. The defense ministry announced police chief Mahinda Balasuriya’s resignation Wednesday saying his decision to step down was due to “displeasure” with the way police conducted themselves. Earlier in the day, […]
