newslanka.org

Sri Lanka Friday rejected growing international calls for a ceasefire amid fears for the safety of 250,000 civilians trapped as the military pushed for victory against Tamil rebels.

Sri Lanka’s president on Thursday pledged safe passage for thousands of people trapped by fighting with Tamil Tiger rebels, hours after a convoy carrying more than 200 seriously wounded people left the war zone.

India fended off a spirited challenge by Sri Lanka to snatch a thrilling 15-run victory in the second one-dayer and take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series, in Colombo on Saturday.

Jan 31, Colombo: The United Kingdom government today welcomed the Sri Lankan government’s move to allow safe passage for civilians trapped in the north and now it is up to LTTE to allow the civilians to leave for safety.

Jan 31, Colombo: The United Kingdom government today welcomed the Sri Lankan government’s move to allow safe passage for civilians trapped in the north and now it is up to LTTE to allow the civilians to leave for safety.

Thousands of Tamil diaspora gathered in Millbank, London in protest against the on going offensive in the northern Sri Lanka.

Thousands of Tamil diaspora gathered in Millbank, London in protest against the on going offensive in the northern Sri Lanka.

The United Nations, which has not asserted its international authority and responsibility with the Colombo government in directly taking charge of the affected civilians of Vanni, has no moral or humanitarian grounds to urge the civilians to submit themselves against their will into the hands of those who commit genocide on them, said Batticaloa parliamentarian [...]

A demonstration calling for an end to the violence in Sri Lanka passed off peacefully, police have said. More than 50,000 people attended the rally in central London this afternoon.

A DOMINANT 93 not out under pressure by Sri Lanka’s Thilina Kandamby failed to stop India from posting a 15-run victory in the second one-day international in Colombo on Saturday.

A demonstration calling for an end to the violence in Sri Lanka passed off peacefully, police have said.

As students of Tamil Nadu declared strike from Monday, demanding a permanent ceasefire in Sri Lanka, the government of Tamil Nadu on Saturday night announced an indefinite closure of all state-aided, state-run and private colleges in the state. “This reminds us of the 1965 anti-Hindi agitations that rocked Tamil Nadu. At that point of time [...]

COLOMBO : Yuvraj Singh smashed a half-century to help India post a competitive 256-9 in the second one-day international against Sri Lanka here on Saturday.

Jan 31, Colombo: A total of 171 civilians including 38 children in several groups have fled to safety in government controlled areas, the military said.

Jan 31, Colombo: A total of 171 civilians including 38 children in several groups have fled to safety in government controlled areas, the military said.

For the first time within the safety zone, Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombers Saturday attacked Moongkilaa’ru and Chuthanthirapuram. Relentless artillery fire also continued throughout the day on civilian targets. 39 civilians were killed and 128 wounded in the indiscriminate attacks. Artillery-fired cluster munitions were used in the attacks by the SLA against civilians targets, [...]

India fell at least 30 runs short of what they would have expected after a fiery start, but in the end it turned out they made enough - just about. In a thrilling finish, Thilina Kandamby took Sri Lanka close, but his unbeaten 93 was not enough in the face of some nagging death bowling [...]

Jan 31, Colombo: Sri Lanka Air Force Kfir fighter jets attacked and destroyed two bulldozers being used in building a bund in Piramantanlkulam area of Mullaitivu this afternoon around 2:00 p.m., the military said.

Jan 31, Colombo: Sri Lanka Air Force Kfir fighter jets attacked and destroyed two bulldozers being used in building a bund in Piramantanlkulam area of Mullaitivu this afternoon around 2:00 p.m., the military said.

Demanding a permanent ceasefire in Sri Lanka and the withdrawal of all Indian military aid to Colombo, leaders of the umbrella front in Tamil Nadu, Ilangkaith Thamizhar Paathukaappu Pearavai, which was recently formed to protect the Eezham Tamils, announced Saturday that they would mark the Sri Lankan Independence Day on February 4 as a day [...]

Jan 31, Kandy: Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa today attended several engagements in the hill country capital of Kandy.

Jan 31, Kandy: Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa today attended several engagements in the hill country capital of Kandy.

CHENNAI: BJP and Nationalist Congress Party have backed a newly-formed Sri Lankan Tamils Protection Movement’s call for a general strike in the state on February 4, seeking ceasefire in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka Army (SLA) continued artillery shelling Saturday on civilian targets in Chuthanthirapuram. Eight wounded civilians have been rushed to Udaiyaarkaddu hospital and a mother has succumbed to injuries, according to initial reports from the medical sources. The shelling continues as Colombo refused International call for ceasefire. On Friday, the shelling destroyed Vanni head [...]

Jan 31, Colombo: Sri Lankan troops yesterday found a fully air-conditioned, two storey underground bunker believed to be a hideout of the LTTE leader in the Visuamadu jungle.

The Catholic community of Jaffna district, led by Jaffna Bishop Rt. Rev. Thomas Saundaranayagam, continuing its hunger strike for the third day at Jaffna Central College along with members of other faiths and civil organizations, issued a statement Friday, requesting the immediate halt to the human tragedy that is taking place in Vanni, the statement [...]

Jan 31, Colombo: The committee appointed to formulate a solution to the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka has proposed a Higher Appointments Council in place of the present Constitutional Council.

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — A Sri Lankan government deadline for Tamil Tiger rebels to let civilians leave the northern conflict zone ended Saturday with only about a hundred reaching safe areas.

Jan 31, Colombo: On January 31, 1996, an LTTE suicide bomber drove a truck laden with 440 pounds of high explosives through the main gate of the Central Bank…

A father of five children, set himself ablaze in Madurai, Tamil Nadu Friday night, demanding justice and peace for Eezham Tamils. The man, Ravi, has succumbed to his injuries at the hospital Saturday evening, sending shock waves across the state, according to media sources in Madurai.

Another young Tamil has set himself ablaze in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, demanding justice and peace for Eezham Tamils and sending shockwaves across the state, according to media sources in Madurai.

In a surprise move, Tamil Tigers facing rout in battle with Lankan troops and its entire top leaders..

The Sri Lankan military claimed it destroyed a Tamil Tiger suicide boat Saturday, hours after the go..

In a show of solidarity with the Northeast Tamils caught up in the war in Sri Lanka, about 45,000 Canadian Tamils people took part in the protest throughout the day Friday, forming a human chain stretching from Bloor St. to University Ave. and Yonge St. and snaked all the way to Front.according to Staff Sgt. [...]

It’s a nice line for a movie. Not always in cricket. Virender Sehwag,
who was in complete control in the middle and had started to indulge
himself against the seamers, ran himself out.

Protests and strikes spread across Tamil Nadu, snarling traffic at major important roads particularly in Chennai, demonstrators held vigils in Coimbatore, Thiruvannaamalai and Salem paying homage to Muththukumar who self-immolated to show solidarity with Eezham Tamils, and Madras High Court Advocates Association boycotted courts on Friday, while mainstream media said the prevailing tension in [...]

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP): The Sri Lankan military claimed Saturday it had destroyed a Tamil Tiger suicide boat, as the government ruled out a cease-fire in the northern war zone where hundreds of thousands of civilians are reportedly trapped.

(Lanka-e-News, Jan.31.2009, 3.00PM) Government seeks public help to nab the attackers of Chief editor of the privately-owned Sinhala weekly…

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni elected to bat after winning the toss against Sri Lanka in the second one-day international here on Saturday.

Red Cross officials were negotiating Saturday to evacuate more wounded from the conflict zone in Sri Lanka’s embattled north as the island’s military kept up its push to crush Tamil separatist rebels.

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka – A Sri Lankan government deadline for Tamil Tiger rebels to let civilians leave the northern conflict zone ended Saturday with only about a hundred reaching safe areas. The government accused the insurgents of holding the civilians as human shields.

(Lanka-e-News, Jan. 31, 2009, 1.35 PM) Troops of the 57 Division under the command of Major General Jagath Dias have located a high profile LTTE hideout including an underground bunker while engaged in mop-up operations in the Visuamadu jungle,…

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government on Saturday ordered indefinite closure of colleges and hostels in the state in the wake of students unrest on Sri Lankan-Tamils issue.

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the toss and elected to bat first Saturday in the second limited-overs international against Sri Lanka at R.Premadasa Stadium.

Ishant Sharma picked up a fine four-wicket haul to guide India to a 15-run victory over Sri Lanka in a keenly-contested second One-Day International in Colombo on Saturday.

The Sri Lankan military claims it destroyed a Tamil Tiger suicide boat on Saturday, hours after the government ruled out a ceasefire in the northern war zone where hundreds of thousands of civilians are reportedly trapped.

TORONTO — Thousands of Canadian Tamils formed a human chain through Toronto's downtown on Friday to protest a Sri Lankan government offensive aimed at crushing the separatist Tamil Tigers.

COLOMBO: Colombo Chief Magistrate Nishantha Hapuarachchi Friday overruled the request of Counsel appearing on behalf of the Directors of Okanda Finance to set aside the earlier Order made by the Magistrate, restraining the four Directors of Okanda Finance from leaving the country.

COLOMBO: Colombo Chief Magistrate Nishantha Hapuarachchi Friday overruled the request of Counsel appearing on behalf of the Directors of Okanda Finance to set aside the earlier Order made by the Magistrate, restraining the four Directors of Okanda Finance from leaving the country.

The leadership of the Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) has recently named Selvarasa Pathmanathan, a high profile representative of the movement, as the Head of a newly established Department of International Relations, sources close to the LTTE said on Saturday.

Sri Lanka in Pakistan 2008-09

Passenger train service between Colombo and Vavuniyaa has been
suspended from Thursday until further notice as a security measure.
The service will be run upto Madawachchi, Railway Department said.

Peradeniya Police in the central province took a 53 year-old Tamil civilian P.K.Murugesu of Kannakipuram, Orr’s Hill in Trincomalee town
into custody Wednesday evening in a cordon and search operation
conducted in Peradeniya town.

Jan 31, Colombo: The United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcoming the Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s announcement of safe passage for the civilians trapped in the northern war zone urged the LTTE to allow the civilians to move to where they feel most secure.

Jan 31, Colombo: Sri Lanka Minister of Construction and Engineering Services Rajitha Senarathna says President Mahinda Rajapaksa is apt for the Nobel Peace Prize in future.

India, despite declaring its “ambitions for a permanent seat in a reformed United Nations’ Security Council,” and thereby to project its regional power at the “hub of global peace and security,” that is UNSC, India’s failure to intervene with authority in the “unfolding humanitarian crisis in Sri Lanka” has exposed the “limits of Delhi’s ability [...]

Sri Lanka Army (SLA) in Vavuniyaa, inhumanely separated 122 immediate family
members accompanying the seriously wounded 226 civilians transported
by the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC), and sent them to
an internment camp in Nelukku’lam, Vavuniyaa, medical sources in Vavuniyaa told TamilNet. Mothers of number of injured children, between ages 8 and 10 years,
were also not [...]

Sri Lanka Army (SLA) in Vavuniyaa, inhumanely separated 122 immediate family
members accompanying the seriously wounded 226 civilians transported
by the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC), and sent them to
an internment camp in Nelukku’lam, Vavuniyaa, medical sources in Vavuniyaa told TamilNet. Mothers of number of injured children, between ages 8 and 10 years,
were also not [...]

(Lanka-e-News, January 31, 2009, 8.25 AM) Minister of Disaster management and Human Rights Mahinda Samarasinghe hopes that LTTE will respond to the day before yesterday’s (29) plea of the President Mahinda Rajapakse as the state head…

(Lanka-e-News, January 31, 2009, 8.40 AM) Police media spokesman SSP Ranjith Gunasekara said to Lanka-e-News that a 22 year old youth was arrested last evening…