Word: lanka
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...turned out, Rajiv Gandhi was not injured. Nonetheless, the attack was a painful reminder to the Prime Minister of how much strife and distrust had been aroused by the pact he had just initialed -- and how uncertain were its chances of success. For four years Sri Lanka, a teardrop of an island off India's southern coast, has been plagued by a vicious battle that has claimed more than 6,000 lives. Pitting the Sinhalese majority against the minority Tamils, the conflict has not only imperiled Jayewardene's government but threatened to drag New Delhi further into a war that...
...controversy it has aroused, the accord offers benefits to both countries -- if it holds up. For Sri Lanka, peace would bring stability and a return to more prosperous times. For India, success would promote the country's coveted image as a regional superpower and repair Gandhi's battered reputation. Said U.S. State Department Spokesman Charles Redman: "We applaud the statesmanlike efforts and perseverance of these courageous leaders in achieving this accord...
...year-old woman were Sikhs, members of a minority religious group in India. They were Canada's latest boat people, who arrived seeking to take advantage of the country's liberal refugee laws. Last August two lifeboats filled with 155 Tamils from Sri Lanka were found floating off Newfoundland, having paid for passage from West Germany...
...Gandhi ordered five of the Indian air force's Soviet-built An- 32 transports, escorted by four French-built Mirage-2000 fighter jets, into Sri Lankan airspace to drop 25 tons of "humanitarian relief supplies" onto Jaffna. Colombo immediately charged that the airlift was a "naked violation of Sri Lanka's sovereignty and independence." India insisted that the move was needed to meet the "continuing deterioration" of Sri Lanka's Tamils, a condition Colombo denies...
...people, the separatist guerrillas have found support and safe haven among the 50 million Tamils living across the strait in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Last week's airlift seemed to indicate that Gandhi was giving in to pressure from Indian Tamils to intervene more actively in Sri Lanka. Said an official in Colombo: "Whatever India may say about humanitarian aid, what they actually wanted was a halt to the offensive. They have done that...