Tag: Sri Lanka

South Asia

Muslim leaders had warned of Sri Lanka terror

SahelThe tri-border region where the Sahel countries of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso come together is the scene of fast-mounting massacres by presumed Islamist militants. Attacks on civilians and security forces alike have left hundreds dead this month. In Niger, peasants were gunned down while working their fields in Banibangou village—an attack attributed to a local ISIS franchise. In Mali, ongoing deadly attacks have caused a massive population exodus in several regions of the country, including Menaka, Mopti, Gao, Timbuktu and Sikasso. "Violence is spreading so rapidly across Mali that it threatens the very survival of the state," said UN human rights expert Alioune Tine after a visit to the country. (Map: Wikivoyage)

South Asia

China expands Indian Ocean military footprint

string of pearlsIn addition to stationing troops on the disputed islands it claims in the South China Sea, Beijing is rapidly expanding its network of commercial ports across the Indian Ocean. This comes as China is sending warships into the Ocean with growing frequency, leading to fears that the commercial ports could presage military bases, The latest addition is the port of Hambantota in Sri Lanka, acquired in a debt swap deal—the Colombo government was forgiven $1 billion in debt to Beijing in exchange for the Hambantota facility. China has also gained access to facilities in Burma, Bangladesh, Pakistan, the Maldives, Seychelles and Oman as part of the maritime component of its Silk Road trade and infrastructure initiative. While the Silk Road is an ostensibly civilian project, China has also established its first foreign military base at Djibouti, leading Western wonks to warn that Beijing is seeking a "string of pearls" network of bases across the Indian Ocean.  (Map via CIMSEC)

South Asia

Sri Lanka rejects UN call for war crimes probe

Sri Lanka's government rejected a call for UN involvement in its investigation into alleged war crimes during the country's civil war—but Tamils have little faith in the government.

South Asia

Sri Lanka: fear in wake of anti-Muslim riots

Police declared a curfew in Sri Lanka's coastal town of Aluthgama after simmering tensions between Buddhist militants and local Muslims escalated into deadly clashes.

South Asia

Sri Lanka opposition demand war crimes probe

The main opposition party in Sri Lanka is demanding the government conduct an investigation into alleged crimes carried out in the long war against the Tamil Tigers.

South Asia

Buddhist pogroms in Burma, Sri Lanka

The campaign of ethnic cleansing against Muslims in Burma has spread from the coast to the country’s heartland, with similar attacks now mounting in Sri Lanka.

South Asia

Sri Lanka: mass grave recalls bloody past

Sri Lanka’s left opposition is demanding investigation of a mass grave found in the central town Matale, asserting that the human remains date to a wave of bloody repression.