Sri Lanka news columns

COLOMBO, May 15 (RIA Novosti) - Sri Lanka has ordered a number of military transport helicopters and other weaponry from Russia, the country's defense secretary said in an exclusive interview with RIA Novosti. "I have managed to reach an agreement with Russia on a loan to purchase military equipment, primarily helicopters for the air force , and other weaponry," Gotabhaya Rajapaksa said, adding that the helicopters had been already ordered. Rajapaksa did not specify the amount of the deal or the number of helicopters, but said they were needed in the first place "to transport military personnel." "We will need them in the future. We are already using [Russian-made] Mi-17 and Mi-24 helicopters, and we need more," the official said. He added that Sri Lanka was willing to develop stronger military ties with Russia. "We would like to bring our relations to the level where we could share [combat] experience," Rajapaksa said. One of t

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - Thousands of civilians under rebel fire waded across a lagoon yesterday to escape Sri Lanka's war zone, where government forces have surrounded Tamil Tiger separatists for possibly the final battle of a 25-year conflict, the military and a United Nations official said. The military said aerial surveillance footage confirmed an exodus of about 5,000 people from a tiny, sandy coastal strip, where the United States and others say the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam are holding thousands by force. Sri Lanka and the Tamil Tigers brushed off demands from the US Security Council and President Obama to take steps to protect the civilians, who are stuck between two foes who are determined to fight to the end of a war that began in 1983. Piling on more pressure, US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton sought to dissuade the International Monetary Fund from considering a $1.9 billion loan for Sri Lanka. "We think it is not an ap

At least 3,000 civilians, held hostage by the LTTE inside the new safety zone along the Mullaithivu sea coast, escaped on Thursday as the Sri Lanka military opened up an escape route. The Lankan military believe that the exodus from the LTTE-held area is expected to pick up as the army is helping stranded Tamil civilians in the current phase of the operation. The latest rescue operation began amid concern expressed by the UN Security Council and US President Barack Obama over the deteriorating humanitarian crisis inside the new safe zone, and an offer by the Tigers to enter into talks with the Sri Lanka government in the "interest of the civilians." Earlier on Wednesday, waging a desperate battle for survival, the Tamil Tigers launched a wave of suicide attacks on land and sea, but failed to stall the advance of Sri Lankan forces, who broke through their defences as fierce fighting left 44 rebels dead and many soldiers wounded. The renewed heavy fighting raged as