newslanka.org

Apr 27, Ratnapura: The doctors in Ratnapura Hospital today performed a successful operation on a youth to remove a knife from his left lung.

Two Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) fighter bombers continued to bomb civilian targets in Mu’l'li-vaaykkaal after the announcement by the Sri Lankan forces that it would not deploy heavy weapons or carry out air attacks as pressure mounted from the International Community. LTTE’s Director of Peace Seceratariat, S. Puleedevan, when contacted by TamilNet told that [...]

The newly appointed Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Commander who had earlier rejected the recommendation by the committee appointed by the Supreme Court to expedite resettlement of displaced residents in Thellippazhai has allowed demining on both sides of Kaangkeasanththu’rai-Jaffna road so that students and patients to Union College and Cancer Treatment Hospital in Thellippazhai could access [...]

Source: Reuters LUXEMBOURG, April 27 (Reuters) - The European Union welcomed on Monday the Sri Lankan government’s announcement of an end to heavy military operations again rebels, but urged an immediate ceasefire to …

Apr 27, Kotte: Sri Lanka Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) says that 1.4 million people in Western Province have not casted their votes at the recently concluded polls.

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, April 27 (UPI) — Sri Lanka said Monday it has stopped using heavy weapons in a bid to spare the lives of civilians trapped in a Tamil rebel-held “no-fire” zone.

Apr 27, Colombo: Sri Lanka’s Health minister Nimal Siripala De Silva today described the opposition voters who did not cast their votes for the ruling party in Western Provincial Council election as cows.

Source: UNHCR UNHCR begins an aid airlift for displaced people in Sri Lanka with the first plane
carrying almost 3,000 family-size tents from the agency’s stockpiles in Dubai.

Apr 27, Colombo: The British Foreign Secretary David Miliband today called the Sri Lanka government to reinstate their own ceasefire as a respond to the unilateral ceasefire announced by the LTTE yesterday.

Source: Reuters (For a related story, click on [ID:nCOL398804])

By C. Bryson Hull

COLOMBO, April 27 (Reuters) - A truce looks out of the question in Sri Lanka’s war, but the government said it would no longer use …

Apr 27, Colombo: A medical team of 75 French doctors is to arrive in Sri Lanka today with a 100-bed mobile hospital to provide relief to the thousands of Internally Displaced Persons in the North.

Apr 27, Ratnapura: At least 75 houses were partially damaged due to a twister that blew across the Kuruwita area in Ratnapura last night.

Apr 27, Colombo: The political sector in Sri Lanka heated up again as the preferential votes at the Saturday’s Western Provincial Council polls in Colombo District was released.

Sri Lankan Tamil protesters have attacked Sri Lankan and Indian High Commissions in London.

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa has said Colombo would extradite Tamil Tigers chief Velupillai Prabhakaran, if caught alive, to India - but after first putting him through trial in his country.

Source: Reuters LONDON, April 27 (Reuters) - Supporters of Tamil separatists smashed windows and brought traffic to a standstill in central London on Monday in a protest to demand an immediate ceasefire in an …

The Under Secretary General of the UN Sir John Holmes visited the IDP Welfare Camps (Menik Farm) in Vauniya today promised to donate 10 million US Dollars through UN agencies to facilitate civilians shortly.

The Sri Lanka Cricket interim committee (IC) has decided to increase its number of contracted players to 76 after a meeting on Friday.

Source: Reuters (For a related story, click on [ID:nCOL398804])

By C. Bryson Hull

COLOMBO, April 27 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka said on Monday it would no longer use heavy weapons while it moves into the last pocket …

(Lanka-e-News 27.April.2009 1.00PM -2nd Edition 3.00PM) Government of Sri Lanka has decided that combat operations have reached their conclusion said issuing the statement….

(Lanka-e-News, April 27, 2009, 1.40PM) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi began an indefinite hunger strike in Chennai Monday to protest “cruel acts” against Tamils in Sri Lanka,…

Source: UNHCR -

Chief Minister Karunanidhi who undertook a fast demanding cease-fire in Sri Lanka has called it off a few hours later.

Sri Lanka announced on Monday that it was halting the use of heavy weapons and air strikes to spare civilian lives in its battle against the Tamil Tigers.

Sri Lanka to stop attacks on rebels amid pressure to protect civilians.

Sri Lankan troops will no longer use heavy weapons against Tamil Tiger rebels in the north-east, the government says.

In FR case, Supreme Court approves new private TV regulations to apply to new station applications, cancels disputed regulations-lawyer-JNW

Source: Reuters (For related story click on [ID:nCOL398804])

April 27 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka on Monday ordered its forces to cease using heavy weapons and jets in combat operations against Tamil Tiger rebels, but …

Sri Lanka ordered an end to combat operations against Tamil Tiger rebels in the country’s north, the president’s office said Monday. But the rebels accused the military of continuing to bomb civilians.

Sri Lanka on Monday said combat with heavy weapons was over in a last pocket of territory held by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and they were shifting their focus to rescuing civilians trapped there.

Source: Reuters * President says combat operations over

* Troops only to use small arms to rescue civilians

* Pro-LTTE report says fighting ongoing

(Adds details, byline analyst comment)

By C. Bryson Hull

…

Govt says combat ops reach their conclusion; military to end use of heavy weapons, combat aircraft which could injure civilians-Def Ministry-JNW

April 27 (Bloomberg) — Sri Lanka said it is ending combat operations against Tamil Tiger rebels in the north to concentrate on rescuing thousands of civilians trapped in the conflict zone.

Foreign Secretary David Miliband will visit Sri Lanka later this week along with his French and Swedish counterparts after Colombo rejected a ceasefire declared by Tamil Tiger rebels.

Apr 27, Colombo: Sri Lankan government today announced that it has concluded all combat operations and would continue the rescue missions.

COLOMBO (Reuters) — Sri Lanka Monday said that combat operations would now be confined to using only small arms and rescuing civilians trapped in the war zone by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, the president’s office said.

Apr 27, Colombo: Sri Lanka Navy Fast Attack Craft and elite Special Boat Squadron (SBS) unit fired at two LTTE boats attempting to mount attacks on the ground troops advancing into the southern part of the no-fire zone, the military said today.

COLOMBO (Reuters) — Sri Lanka on Monday said that combat operations would now be confined to using only small arms and rescuing civilians trapped in the war zone by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, the president’s office said.

Source: Reuters COLOMBO, April 27 (Reuters) — Sri Lanka on Monday said that combat operations would now be confined to using only small arms and rescuing civilians trapped in the war zone by the Liberation Tigers of …

Apr 27, Colombo: Former Sri Lankan Test cricket player Prasanna Ranatunga has secured the first place in preferential votes for the ruling United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) in Gampaha District…

Apr 27, Colombo: UN Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Sir John Holmes today held discussions with Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama…

Several civilians were killed and more than 200, wounded in Sri Lanka Army (SLA) shelling and gunfire, have been admitted at Mu’l'li-vaaykkaal hospital in the early hours of Monday as the SLA opened fire from its positions attempting to advance further into the densely populated so-called safety zone (No Fire Zone) from 3:30 a.m. Monday. [...]

Sri Lanka Army (SLA) began firing from all points along the north, west and south of safe-zone in the early hours of Monday around 3:45 a.m., according to initial reports. Heavy gunfire was reported in the north and south of Mu’l'li-vaaykkaal. The aggression by the SLA comes a few hours after Sri Lanka rejected LTTE [...]

Source: Reuters Apr 26 - The United Nations sends its top humanitarian official to push for more protection for civilians trapped in the conflict between rebels and government troops. Paul Chapman reports.

LTTE now in 10 sq km with est. 15-20,000 civilians-Defence Ministry. Govt requests int’l help to care for 100,000 civilians who fled NFZ-Info Dept-JNW

April 27 (Bloomberg) — Sri Lanka rejected a cease-fire call by Tamil Tiger rebels as a “joke” as Tamils said the army must stop killing civilians trapped in the last rebel-held territory in the north.

April 27 (Bloomberg) — Sri Lanka rejected a cease-fire call by Tamil Tiger rebels as a “joke” as Tamils said the army must stop killing civilians trapped in the last rebel-held territory in the north.

Oil prices fell toward $50 a barrel in Asia as investors mulled comments from OPEC suggesting the price was too low-JNW

President Mahinda Rajapaksa has scored another mammoth victory by bagging the most important of all ..

April 27 (Bloomberg) — Sri Lanka rejected a cease-fire call by Tamil Tiger rebels as a “joke” as a Tamil group said the army must stop killing civilians trapped in the last rebel- held territory in the north.

In a faint voice barely audible, 28-year-old Parameswaran, on the 20th day of his hunger strike in London said Sunday the world is waiting for right action from the US president. “White house said stop shelling and warned Sri Lanka that a military end of the conflict will end a unified Sri Lanka. But Colombo [...]

WP Colombo preferential votes led by Duminda Silva followed by Thilanga Sumathipala & Udaya Gammanpila for UPFA; Rosy Senenayaka UNP-Reporter-JNW

More than 500 diaspora Tamils in Oslo staged a demonstration with their mouths bound in white bands as a symbol of the silence maintained by the Norwegian government in the face of the unfolding genocide of innocent Tamils in Vanni, in front of Norwegian Parliament Sunday from 2:00 p.m till 3:30 p.m, urging Norway to [...]

Sri Lanka’s government said Sunday it is considering an amnesty for Tamil Tiger rebels who surrender — although not for leaders of the insurgency, which is facing defeat after 25 years of civil war.

Sri Lanka’s separatist rebels have asked Britain and France to continue pushing for a cease-fire in the island’s civil war after the two European nations’ foreign ministers failed to secure a halt in the fighting to allow civilians to evacuate.

Sri Lankan forces shelled a makeshift hospital in the war zone Saturday, killing 64 civilians despite a pledge to stop using heavy weapons in its battle with the Tamil Tigers, a rebel-linked Web site said.

Artillery shells hit a makeshift hospital in Sri Lanka’s northern war zone Saturday, killing at least 64 civilians, a government doctor and a rebel-linked Web site said, amid growing international pressure to safeguard thousands of civilians trapped in the area.

Sri Lanka’s government dropped leaflets across the northern war zone Friday urging civilians to flee the fighting amid accusations the military pounded the area with artillery shells that killed at least 10 civilians.

The Sri Lankan military fired scores of artillery shells into the northern war zone overnight, killing at least 10 civilians despite a pledge to stop using heavy weapons in its offensive against the Tamil Tiger rebels, a health official in the region said Friday.