Sri Lanka News Updates with Discussions

This is going to take a long time to 'erase'...

yes eu and un condemned the attack but followed it up with time for substantive talks.

severeign country hey /every time plane lands in palaly ltte informed

In a statement released by his spokeswoman, Michele Montas, Ban said, 'The attack was in total disregard for the lives of civilians, humanitarian workers, government officials, and the international community.'

She said, 'The secretary-general urges the parties to the conflict to end the destructive spiral of violence and calls on them to make every effort to return to the peace process as soon as possible.' she said.

Erik Solheim condemns Sri Lanka Army for unprovoked shelling
at Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission in Pooneryn

Norwegian International Development Minister Erik Solheim, after talking to the Head of Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission Major General Lars Johan Sølvberg, who narrowly escaped from the Sri Lanka Army shelling while inspecting the Pooneryn jetty Wednesday, told the online edition of VG, the largest national paper in Norway, that the shelling was launched after the former Norwegian Army Commander, had arrived at the site and it was gradually directed towards the delegation. 'The most serious is that the army fired at this level towards an unprovoking target,' Mr. Erik Solheim told the paper describing the episode as a highly dangerous situation.

There was clear sight, Erik Solheim told the paper adding that it was impossible to misunderstand the situation. The army was in advance informed of the meeting which was about inspecting the pathway that has been damaged. SLA fired artillery shells started to hit the ground first at 100 meter distance, but gradually the shells began approaching the delegation, at closest 50 meter from the Head of Mission. One of the vehicles was pushed off the path due to the air pressure caused by the artillery shelling, the paper said.

Solheim, describing the experienced 54-years-old Norwegian Major General as a 'quiet and calm' person said the Head of Mission feared for his life while he came under artillery fire. Meanwhile, in an interview to the Norwegian state owned NRK Radio, Erik Solheim said: 'there is no doubt that shells were aimed gradually to kill those who were there. Probably those who fired did not know that they were shelling at the Norwegian observers.' 'However, it is a very, very serious situation, where the Sri Lankan government soldiers have fired to kill unarmed people,' the minister told NRK.

Commenting on the attack on refugee camp in Vaaharai Solheim said it was a violation of what parties promised in Geneva ten days ago. Attacking unarmed people who were not provoking and attacking internally displaced people in which many women and children are reported to have been killed, is a violation of the cease fire agreement which both sides claim that they are observing, he told the radio.

02 LTTE boats destroyed and 15 killed - Pulmoddai
The SL Naval elite Fast Attack Squadron, destroyed 02 LTTE boats killing over 15 terrorists, on Tuesday the 27th of February, when intercepted an LTTE movement consisting of 14 odd attack craft, off Pulmoddai, 50 kilometers north of Trincomalee, at 09:30 p.m.

The cluster of LTTE boats mingling off the waters of Nayaru, north of Pulmoddai engaged in a fresh seaborne offensive, against the Naval patrol vessels which had intercepted the terrorist boat movement.

According to Naval sources another 03 LTTE boats caught in flames were expected to receive heavy damages. It is believed that the terrorist casualty figures may rise as the low profile LTTE boats were chased off the seas of Pulmoddai unable to withstand fast attack naval maneuvers.

The Naval sources said that two sailors have also sustained injuries during the sea confrontation.