News

Reports trickling into Colombo about this week's Donor Co-chairs meeting in Tokyo, Japan speak of some backroom battles.

One is said to have come after Japanese Foreign Ministry officials prepared the draft statement. Insiders said Norway's Minister for Interntional Development, Erik Solheim wanted additions to the draft. They related to strictures on the Government and a pointed reference to Douglas Devananda's Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP).

Japan's Special Envoy for the peace process Yasushi Akashi had politely told Solheim he had worked out the joint statement on the Geneva talks in February. He wanted to soften the impact on the Government. But his efforts did not work.

Solheim prevailed, according to these reports.

A Thai airways flight made an emergency landing around 8.15 a.m. yesterday at the Colombo airport due to engine failure, shortly after take-off, officials said.

The flight TG 330 was on its way to Bangkok. The Airbus A 330 aircraft was carrying more than 225 passengers and crew when it returned to the airport after being in the air for about ten minutes.

Airport officials said the Airbus had first taken off early yesterday but was forced to return due to a technical defect and it was during its second takeoff that smoke was observed from one-side, prompting the aircraft to make an emergency landing.

Airport officials said the passengers had been moved to nearby hotels following the emergency landing.

Until last evening the flight had not left Colombo and technical inspections were under way.

The US-based American University has cancelled a study tour of a group of its students to Sri Lanka, citing the unstable security situation in the country at present.

The group of 16 students due to visit Sri Lanka in July were hoping to study the various aspects of development in the country, said the Consultant of the Sarvodaya Community Tourism Initiative, Catherine Leech.

Sarvodaya was to share some information regarding the nature of its work and also organise parts of the study programme, she added. However, the University authorities had made arrangements for the students to work with other development organisations here as well, she said.

The primary reason behind the cancellation of the tour is cited as being due to the ‘increasing instability and potential for a full scale conflict in Sri Lanka’. Furthermore, the University authorities have raised fears regarding the dramatic rise of actual attacks over the past month.