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 ...

by Shamindra Ferdinando The SLAF struck at a Black Tiger training facility north-west of Puthukkudirippu shortly before JVP leader Somawansa Amarasinghe said the government had suspended air strikes due to growing Indian pressure. SLAF headquarters said that jets launched from Katunayake had zeroed-in-on the target at 10 a.m. Dismissing Amarasinghe’s claim, an authoritative military official told The Island that the SLAF took a range of targets over the past several days. Wednesday evening, the 57 Division had called close air support to thwart an LTTE counter attack on the Akkarayankulam tank bund. Responding to The Island queries, the official said that a blackout on air operations or any other military activity for that matter shouldn’t be perceived as suspension of operations. Addressing a press conference at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute (SLFI), Amarasinghe, flanked by JVP General Secretary Tilvin Silva and Anura Kumara Dissanayake, said India had forced President Mahinda Raj...

Ranil WIJAYAPALA Nachchikuda: The troops of Task Force I or the famously known 58 Division now in the western edge of the Kilinochchi district yesterday passed yet another milestone in their march towards Pooneryn completely capturing Nachchikuda the last stronghold of the LTTE on the Western coast before Pooneryn by last evening, Military sources announced yesterday. “With the capture of Nachchikuda the LTTE is left with only Pooneryn on the Western coast as the rest of the area between Nachchikuda and Pooneryn is covered with jungle patches,” commander of the Task Force I or the 58 Division, Brigadier Shavendra Silva told the Daily News. The LTTE faced two consecutive blows within 24 hours on the western edge of the Kilinochchi district as they lost two strategically important villages Jeyapuram and Nachchikuda, he said. The troops of the Task Force I or the 58 Division completely captured the 15 Km long LTTE defence line in the form of a massive earth bund surrounding the Nachchikud...

TN falls silent after MP Basil Rajapaksa’s visit Troops capture Tiger earth bunds Tiger air raid causes no major damage Task Force III to assail Tigers from another direction If there were any barriers for the troops, whether it was political pressure, international pressure or ground obstacles the situation has now been created for them to reach their objective- the defeat of the LTTE in their strongholds in Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu. LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran, after a long time has come out to express his views to the media, at least through his Political Chief Nadesan to tell the world about his existence and to praise Tamil Nadu politicians who were engaged in a futile exercise to exert pressure on the Central Government of India, to halt the military thrust on the LTTE in Sri Lanka. The significant fact that emerged this week was that all cries by the Tamil Nadu politicians went silent soon after the visit of Senior P...

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