Senior Sri Lankan official arrested for rebel links

August 29th, 2009 CHENNAI - Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi on Saturday asked the Central Government to ensure more help for Sri Lankan Tamils. "The relief and rehabilitation steps being provided to Sri Lankan Tamils are not enough, many of the Tamilians in Sri Lanka are facing hardships and struggling with rain and therefore we demand more attention of the government towards this issue," Karunanidhi told reporters in Chennai.

August 26th, 2009 LONDON - Video footage released by Britain's Channel 4 has shown a Sri Lankan soldier shooting a suspect Tamil rebel at point blank range in spite of the latter being young, naked, bound and blindfolded. To top it all, the visibly amused soldier simply says after the killing: "It's like he jumped." According to The Times, the footage appears to show what the Tamil community and human rights campaigners have long alleged-that in its final surge against the Tamil Tiger rebels this year, the Sri Lankan Army summarily killed prisoners.

August 18th, 2009 GANDHINAGAR - The Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) of the Gujarat police is probing Pakistani links of the four people arrested in Godhra town last month with fake currency nominally worth Rs.10.25 lakh, a home department official said Tuesday. "It is now certain from preliminary investigations that the fake currency that had been seized by the ATS July 31 had arrived from the Nepal route and the persons arrested have Pakistani links," the official said here, speaking on condition of anonymity.

June 26th, 2009 KARACHI - The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) has rebuked media reports that said at least 57 of its officials were arrested on charges of having links with various militant groups, saying none of its employees have been arrested in the past five years. A statement issued by the PAF said that after 2003, when some PAF personnel were arrested in connection with the assassination attempt on the life of then President General Pervez Musharraf, none of its officials have been taken into custody, The Daily Times reports.

June 24th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistani authorities have arrested 57 air force officials on charges of having links with terrorists, media reports said Wednesday. The personnel were arrested from various Pakistani cities, including Lahore, capital of Punjab province and southern port city of Karachi, among others, for having links with terrorists.

May 13th, 2009 LAHORE - Three suspects were arrested in connection with their alleged involvement in an attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore that left six policemen dead and many players injured. Sources told Geo TV that the accused are members of banned militant outfit Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and hail from Southern Punjab.

May 4th, 2009 COLOMBO - Sri Lankan troops have killed a senior Tamil Tiger rebel in northeastern part of the country, officials said Monday. The army said Thamilendhi was the in-charge of the LTTE's (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) heavy weaponry division.

May 1st, 2009 COLOMBO - At least 23 Tamil Tigers were killed when the Sri Lankan Navy destroyed their boats off the coast of northeastern Mullaitivu district, an official said Friday. Navy spokesman Mahesh Karunaratne said two rebel suicide boats and an attack craft were destroyed at around 1 a.m.

April 22nd, 2009 Sri Lanka says 2 rebel officials surrenderCOLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Sri Lanka's military says that two Tamil Tiger rebels officials have surrendered to its advancing troops in the northern war zone. Military spokesman Brig.

April 14th, 2009 COLOMBO - Tamil rebels Tuesday called for an unconditional permanent ceasefire as a precondition to peace talks with the Sri Lankan government. The call from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) came as the Sri Lankan security forces maintained a two-day halt in its military operations in the north of the country coinciding with traditional New Year celebrations observed throughout the country.

March 30th, 2009 COLOMBO - At least 26 Tamil Tiger guerrillas and a Sri Lankan Navy sailor were killed, and four rebel boats were destroyed in a clash off the coast of Mullaitivu in the island nation's northeast early Monday, an official said here. The pre-dawn sea clash erupted when Sri Lankan Navy patrol boats engaged a cluster of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam (LTTE) boats off Chalai and Mullaitivu areas, where the rebels are now confined to a 21 sq km land stretch.

February 21st, 2009 COLOMBO - At least 10 Indian fishermen have been arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy, a naval official said Friday. The fishermen were arrested off the island's north-western coast of Thalaimannar.

February 19th, 2009 COLOMBO - At least 10 Indian fishermen have been arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy, a naval official said Friday. The fishermen were arrested off the island's north-western coast of Thalaimannar.

January 22nd, 2009 COLOMBO - Sri Lankan Navy has arrested at least 22 Indian fishermen with six boats while fishing illegally in Sri Lanka's northern sea waters off Kankesanthurai (KKS), official sources said here Friday. The sources told IANS that the Sri Lankan Navy has arrested these Indian fishermen trespassing into the Sri Lankan territorial waters late Thursday and handed them over to the KKS police for investigation.

December 23rd, 2008 COLOMBO - Sri Lankan troops have captured an airstrip of the Tamil Tiger rebels in the country's north, defence officials said Wednesday. The airstrip was located 15 km east of Mankulam town that was captured by Army's Task Force 3 this week.