US needs more foreign workers for highly technical jobs: Indian trade leaderOctober 1st, 2009 WASHINGTON - Amidst proposals in the US Congress to limit visas for foreign high-tech workers, U.S. technology giants have said that the country needs more foreign workers to tackle highly technical jobs.
UN strongly warns Lanka over continued holding of civilians in refugee campsSeptember 12th, 2009 LONDON - The United Nations has strongly warned Sri Lanka that the world body cannot continue funding indefinitely the huge refugee camps in the north of the country, and asked the authorities to allow the hundreds of Tamil civilians to leave. The senior UN official in the country hardened their stand when they said the camps should be a last resort for civilians with nowhere else to go.
Sri Lanka's expulsion of UNICEF official is a clear warning to all UN agencies: ACHRSeptember 7th, 2009 NEW DELHI/COLOMBO - A New Delhi-based human rights watchdog has said that the expulsion of a senior UNICEF official by the Government of Sri Lanka "is a clear warning to the UN agencies and all relief workers not to speak out about the situation of 300,000 Tamils who are being interned."
Suhas Chakma, Director of the Asian Centre for Human Rights, said: "It is worse than the way UN agencies are treated by authoritarian regimes and sets a new low. Burma treats aid workers better."
Chakma was referring to Colombo's move to give James Elder, UNICEF's head of communications in Colombo, two weeks to leave the country after he expressed concerns about the plight of Tamils in the government-run "welfare camps".
Unicef slams Sri Lanka's decision to expel officialSeptember 7th, 2009 COLOMBO - The United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) said it was extremely "concerned and disappointed" with the Sri Lankan government's decision to expel the organisation's chief of communications in Sri Lanka, James Elder. The Sri Lankan government cancelled Elder's visa without giving reasons, but it was widely believed that he was being expelled for recent remarks about the plight of refugees living in government-controlled camps in the north of the country.
Sri Lanka unlikely to revoke expulsion of UN officialSeptember 7th, 2009 COLOMBO - The Sri Lankan government is unlikely to revoke its decision to expel a UN official from Colombo after he made remarks about the conditions of war refugees, a senior government official said Monday. Unicef spokesman James Elder was ordered to leave and his visa was cancelled.
Sri Lankan official expelled by Sri Lanka reportedly over comments on suffering Tamil childrenSeptember 6th, 2009 Sri Lanka expels UN official over reported commentCOLOMBO, Sri Lanka — A United Nations official has been banished from Sri Lanka reportedly after discussing how the government's decades-long battle with Tamil Tiger rebels took its toll on children in the war zone. The residency visa of U.N.
Sri Lanka defends sentencing journalist to 20 years under anti-terror lawsSeptember 2nd, 2009 Sri Lanka defends 20-year sentence for journalistCOLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Sri Lanka's government defended a 20-year prison sentence given to a journalist accused of violating the country's strict anti-terror law, saying he was given a fair trial and the decision did not impact media freedom on the island. J.S. Tissainayagam — who was singled out by President Barack Obama in a May speech as an example of persecuted journalists around the globe — wrote articles for the now-defunct Northeastern Monthly magazine in 2006 and 2007 that criticized the government for its conduct in the war against the Tamil Tiger rebels.
AP correspondent leaves Sri Lanka after the government declines to renew his visaJuly 21st, 2009 AP writer leaves Sri Lanka after visa not renewedCOLOMBO, Sri Lanka — The Associated Press bureau chief in Sri Lanka, who broke news of private U.N. reports outlining civilian death tolls, has been denied permission to remain in the country.
Myanmar signs two agreements with Sri LankaJune 15th, 2009 YANGON - Myanmar and Sri Lanka strengthened diplomatic relations over the weekend with the signing of two agreements that eased visa restrictions and pledged cooperation in the tourism sector, media reports said Monday. The two agreements were signed Sunday when Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa paid a state visit to Myanmar's new capital of Naypyitaw at the invitation of junta chief Senior General Than Shwe, The New Light of Myanmar, a government mouthpiece, reported.
Canadian lawmaker to be deported from Sri LankaJune 11th, 2009 COLOMBO - A Canadian parliamentarian is to be deported from Sri Lanka on the grounds that he was a sympathiser of the Tamil rebel movement, senior government officials said Wednesday. Bob Rae, who arrived from the Indian city of Chennai, was detained at Sri Lanka's Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo, before the government decided the Ontario politician should be sent back to Chennai.
Sri Lanka denies entry to Canadian lawmaker, a critic of its war conductJune 10th, 2009 Sri Lanka bars entry to Canadian lawmakerCOLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Sri Lanka denied entry Wednesday to a Canadian lawmaker who was outspoken in his criticism of the military's war against the Tamil Tiger rebels, an official said. Immigration Commissioner P.
PIA operating half-empty flights to India aftermath Mumbai attackMay 21st, 2009 KARACHI - With India tightening its visa norms specially for Pakistan citizens after the November 2008 Mumbai attacks, the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has incurred heavy operational loss, as it is running half-empty flights to India. The PIA presently operates six flights a week to India with only 45-52 percent utilization of capacity which was over 70 percent before 26/11.
Sri Lanka blacklists senior HRW officerMay 8th, 2009 COLOMBO - The Government of Sri Lanka has blackisted a senior researcher of the emergencies division at Human Rights Watch (HRW) due to violation of the country's immigration and emigration laws. Immigration and Emigration controller P.B.
British, French ministers to visit Sri Lanka battle zoneApril 29th, 2009 COLOMBO - The foreign ministers of Britain and France were Wednesday set to visit thousands of displaced people in northern Sri Lanka, while government officials said the army was concentrating on rescuing civilians trapped in the last remaining area held by Tamil rebels. British Foreign Minister David Miliband and his French counterpart Bernard Kouchner are to meet Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama, President Mahinda Rajapaksa before visiting refugee camps in the Vavuniya area, 254 km north of Colombo.
US, Britain for 'temporary' halt in Sri Lanka warFebruary 3rd, 2009 COLOMBO - The US and Britain have called for a 'temporary' truce in Sri Lanka to let civilians trapped by fighting between the Tamil Tigers and the military to leave for safer areas. A joint statement issued following a meeting between Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and British Foreign Secretary David Miliband in Washington Tuesday expressed 'serious concern' about the 'deteriorating humanitarian situation in northern Sri Lanka caused by the ongoing hostilities'.
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