Favouring replication of the Indian model of federalism in Sri Lanka to solve the ethnic problem, members of Parliament from three Tamil parties of the island nation on Tuesday asked New Delhi to play a more active role in the peace process.
National flags were lowered and people bowed their heads as the silence began at 8:30 am local time, the time the first of the attacks occurred on Sunday.
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has expressed concern over the escalating violence between government forces and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam rebels in northern Sri Lanka and reminded the two parties of their obligation to ensure the safety of civilians.Ban's statement comes in the wake of Sri Lankan government's request that United Nations relief workers relocate from conflict affected areas.
The UNHRC agreed to defer the report on Sri Lanka's alleged human rights violations.
Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Wednesday offered worship at the famous hill shrine of Lord Venkateswara in the wee hours near Tirupati.
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Against the backdrop of demands by political parties in Tamil Nadu to stop military aid to Sri Lanka, India today virtually ruled out that option saying the island nation's security is "connected" with its security and it would not like "international players in our backyard".
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For the first time Sri Lanka on Monday admitted that civilian deaths did occur during the final phase of the country's three decade-long civil war against Tamil rebels but said it was "impossible" to avoid deaths in a military campaign against a ruthless opponent.
Sri Lanka on Tuesday shut down Menik Farm, one of the largest refugee camps in world which once housed 300,000 Tamils displaced during the country's decade-long ethnic war which ended in 2009.
Eighty-two Tamil Tigers were killed by security forces in Sri Lanka's north, including 51 who died in an army raid on a key Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam base, as fighter jets pounded another area in the embattled region targeting a rebel gathering, officials said on Thursday. The rebel toll in Wednesday's attack on the LTTE-held Vidattaltivu town in Mannar, which was captured by security forces, reached 51, according to the military.
Over 24 Tigers rebels are believed to have been killed on Sunday when the Sri Lankan Navy attacked and destroyed a ship carrying arms for the LTTE. "There were 24 to 25 people aboard the ship and we believe all of them have been killed," Defence Spokesman Udaya Nanayakkara said. The Lankan naval task group comprising Off Shore Patrol vessels SLNS Sayura, SLNS Sagara, Fast Attack Vessel SLNS Suranimila and Rendezvous vessel 521 were engaged in the elite operation.
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam deployed aircraft for the first time in a combat mission.
PM Modi addressed the Sri Lanka Parliament on Friday.
We present to you a special series that we had done 10 years after the IPKF withdrew from the island nation
The bomb, planted on a tree-top, exploded as the crowded bus passed by in the Vavuniya district, 250 km north of Colombo, a police official in the area said over telephone.
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The five Indian fishermen, who were sentenced to death on charges of drug trafficking, have been released by the Sri Lankan authorities.
Bowing to intense political pressure, Sri Lanka's leading players were on Tuesday withdrawn from the Chennai matches of the high-profile Indian Premier League after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa refused to host them in view of the prevailing anti-Sinhalese sentiments in the state.
Sri Lanka's new president will embark on a 4-day visit to February 15.
Japan's special peace envoy to Sri Lanka Yasushi Akashi offered to host the talks after the government said it was no longer insisting negotiations must be held within the island
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam attacked army defence lines between Mannar and Vavuniya districts since Saturday night inflicting heavy losses.
Sri Lankan Tamil poet and journalist Theepachelvan Pratheepan shares the experiences during his petrified childhood days spent in the war-torn island nation with Rediff.com's Shobha Warrier.
Disruptive pacer S Sreesanth was recalled to the Indian Test squad for the first two Tests against Sri Lanka, beginning in Ahmedabad, next week. Pacer Zaheer Khan, having recovered after shoulder injury, also returned to the side as expected.
The government on Friday rejected the resolution passed by the Tamil Nadu Assembly -- asking the Centre to stop treating Sri Lanka as a friendly nation, to slap sanctions on it and demand a referendum for a separate Tamil Eelam.
Lt Gen (retd) Sathish Nambiar will provide a report on de-escalation in the island's embattled northern peninsula of Jaffna, a contentious issue between the Tigers and Colombo.
Sri Lanka's newly elected president Mithripala Sirisena waves at media as he leaves the election commission in Colombo. Photograph: Dinuka Liyanawatte/ Reuters
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Sri Lanka President Maithripala Sirisena sacked Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and appointed former strongman Mahinda Rajapaksa as the new premier. Sirisena's move has triggered a constitutional crisis in the country. Here are some points about the unfolding crisis and the role of key players:
"Government troops have retaliated the LTTE attack using mortar and artillery guns," the ministry said adding that 20 LTTE cadres have been confirmed killed due to retaliatory firing.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi sets off on Tuesday on a five-day tour of Seychelles, Mauritius and Sri Lanka that is expected to give traction to the country's Indian Ocean outreach during which he also visit a former war zone and Tamil heartland of Jaffna.
India would look to continue their ruthless streak
Air Force spokesman, Group Captain Ajantha Silva confirmed that the air force had bombed some targets in the LTTE-held areas in the Eastern province, but refused to divulge what they were.
Skeletal remains of a young girl have been identified among human remains exhumed from a mass grave in Sri Lanka's Jaffna district, a site linked to the LTTE conflict in the mid-1990s. The discovery has renewed calls for investigation into alleged war crimes.
Actor-politician Vijay announced his retirement from cinema at the audio launch of his movie 'Jana Nayagan' in Malaysia, citing his dedication to his fans. The event, attended by nearly 1 lakh fans, featured emotional speeches and performances, marking Vijay's farewell before his political career.
The bus toppled and was dragged about 25 metre before it came to a halt after being hit by the powerful blast.
Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao on Monday said that New Delhi would continue to give more financial aid to Sri Lanka for rehabilitation and reconstruction of the war-ravaged Tamil-dominated northern areas.
Eight security force personnel were also killed in various incidents in Sri Lanka's north-western Mannar district.
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