Sri Lankan President says Tamil rebels defeated

September 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.

August 2nd, 2009 COLOMBO - A senior civil administration official in the Sri Lankan government has been arrested for alleged links with the defeated Tamil Tiger rebels, police said Sunday. Nagalingam Vethanayagam, the government agent of Kilinochchi, was arrested Friday following information from an arrested Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) cadre, police said.

July 31st, 2009 COLOMBO - The Sri Lankan government has closed down a peace secretariat that was set up to facilitate reconciliation talks with the Tamil Tiger rebels, an official said Friday. The government had taken the decision to close down the secretariat by July end, Rajiva Wijesinghe, head of the office, told reporters.

July 22nd, 2009 Sri Lanka's defeated Tamil rebels name new leaderCOLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Sri Lanka's defeated Tamil Tiger rebels have named a man accused of running a vast arms smuggling operation as their new leader, two months after government forces crushed the separatist movement. The new leader has pledged to remake the insurgents into a nonviolent separatist movement.

July 22nd, 2009 COLOMBO - Tamil rebels defeated by government forces in Sri Lanka two months ago have appointed a new leader as part of a restructuring, the rebels said Wednesday. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in a statement issued Wednesday said they have decided to appoint Selvarasa Pathmanathan as their leader in place of Velupillai Prabhakaran, who was killed in a clash with the military May 18.

July 16th, 2009 COLOMBO - The Sri Lankan Police said Thursday that they captured three propagandists of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the Eastern Province. The LTTE supporters were nabbed at Serunuwara in the eastern port district of Trincomalee Thursday when they were distributing propaganda materials, the police said.

May 23rd, 2009 COLOMBO - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon arrived in Sri Lanka late Friday night on a one day to assess the humanitarian needs of around 300,000 people displaced in the recent conflict with Tamil rebels in the north of the island, government officials said. Ban arrived just after midnight local time and was due to spend Saturday visiting emergency camps for the displaced.

May 17th, 2009 COLOMBO - Sri Lankan troops have rescued more than 10,000 civilians held hostage by the Tamil Tigers in a small strip of land on the island's north, the defence ministry said Sunday. 'The hostages breached through the LTTE inner cordon leaving terrorists in total disarray,' the ministry said on its website.

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 26th, 2009 CANBERRA - About 800 of Tamil protesters rallied in Sydney's Central Business Distinct Sunday, stopping traffic and residents in their tracks. 'This time around we're calling on our friends, our family and our neighbours in the Australian community to start boycotting Sri Lankan products,' Protest spokeswoman Sam Pari told reporters.

April 21st, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Congress party Tuesday urged the Sri Lankan government to ensure 'cessation of hostility' in the island nation and allow Tamil civilians to move out of the conflict zone. 'The Congress is deeply concerned about the fate of innocent Sri Lankan Tamils.

February 21st, 2009 COLOMBO - Investigators Saturday salvaged parts of two light aircraft commandeered by Tamil rebels and shot down by the Sri Lankan Air Force, military officials here said. Two people died and at least 53 were wounded in an air attack by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels on Colombo late Friday.

February 4th, 2009 COLOMBO - The Sri Lankan military Thursday said that it has captured the last sea base of the Tamil Tiger rebels. Officials said the Tamil Tiger base in Chalai was captured by the troops of the 55 Division Thursday afternoon.

January 28th, 2009 COLOMBO - Sri Lankan government troops operating in Tamil Tiger rebels' former stronghold of Mullaitivu district have found an underwater craft, defence officials said Thursday. Officials from the Ministry of Defence said that a submarine type underwater craft belonging to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) was found at Muttiyankattu area in Mullaitivu district Thursday morning.

January 24th, 2009 COLOMBO - Sri Lankan troops fighting their way into the areas of the Tamil Tiger rebels Sunday fully captured the rebels' last major bastion of Mullaitivu, dealing severe body blow to the beleaguered rebel outfit, the island nation's army chief said Sunday. 'Mullaitivu, the (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) LTTE terror hub, has been completely captured by our heroic troops.