Sri Lanka Unrest on Yahoo! News Photos

Tamil civilians at the Manik Farm refugee camp on the outskirts ...

(AFP/Pool/File) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 06:11:11 GMT

(AFP/Pool/File) - Tamil civilians at the Manik Farm refugee camp on the outskirts of the northern Sri Lankan town of Vavuniya in May 2009. The US House of Representatives urged Sri Lanka's government Wednesday to guarantee the safety and quick release of some 300,000 Tamils and other war-displaced people currently held in camps.(AFP/Pool/File/David Gray)

The head of Sri Lanka's military, General Sarath Fonseka, ...

(AFP/File) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:18:29 GMT

(AFP/File) - The head of Sri Lanka's military, General Sarath Fonseka, has been allowed to complete a US visit without being questioned over alleged war crimes against Tamil civilians, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday.(AFP/File/Ishara S. Kodikara)

The "Ocean Lady" that was intercepted on October 17, ...

(AFP/RCMP/File) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 21:11:05 GMT

(AFP/RCMP/File) - The "Ocean Lady" that was intercepted on October 17, in the Pacific Ocean off Canada's west coast suspected of carrying illegal immigrants. Several of a group of 76 Sri Lankan asylum seekers picked up off the Canadian coast last month have ties to the Tamil Tiger rebels and could pose a security risk, officials said Tuesday.(AFP/RCMP/File)

The United States was tightlipped Monday about Sri Lanka's ...

(AFP/File) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 21:28:44 GMT

(AFP/File) - The United States was tightlipped Monday about Sri Lanka's visiting top military commander, after the island said US authorities planned to grill him over alleged war crimes. Sri Lanka summoned the US ambassador to demand the Department of Homeland Security drop plans to question General Sarath Fonseka, pictured in July 2009, over the campaign that crushed Tamil Tiger rebels.(AFP/File/Ishara S. Kodikara)

Sri Lanka protested Monday against plans by US officials to ...

(AFP/File) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 12:55:27 GMT

(AFP/File) - Sri Lanka protested Monday against plans by US officials to quiz its top military commander, General Sarath Fonseka, over alleged war crimes committed during the final months of the war with Tamil Tiger rebels.(AFP/File/Ishara S. Kodikara)

Sri Lanka called on US authorities to drop plans to interview ...

(AFP/File) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 12:45:11 GMT

(AFP/File) - Sri Lanka called on US authorities to drop plans to interview the island's military commander, General Sarath Fonseka, over allegations of war crimes against ethnic Tamil rebels, an official said Sunday.(AFP/File/Ishara S. Kodikara)

Former child soldiers of the Tamil Tiger rebels leave a rehabilitation ...

(AP) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 10:27:28 GMT

(AP) - Former child soldiers of the Tamil Tiger rebels leave a rehabilitation center to enroll in a school in Vavuniya, Sri Lanka, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2009. 67 former child soldiers left a rehabilitation center in order to follow mainstream education in government run schools in Colombo, according to Lt. Col. Manjula Gunasinghe in charge of the camp. (AP Photo/Sanath Priyantha)

A former child soldier of the Tamil Tiger rebels prepares to ...

(AP) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 10:26:29 GMT

(AP) - A former child soldier of the Tamil Tiger rebels prepares to leave a rehabilitation center to enroll in a school, in Vavuniya, Sri Lanka, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2009. A group of 67 former child soldiers left a rehabilitation center in order to follow mainstream education in government run schools in Colombo, according to Lt. Col. Manjula Gunasinghe in charge of the camp . (AP Photo/Sanath Priyantha)

Demonstrators chant as they hold signs against the genocide ...

(AFP/File) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:14:44 GMT

(AFP/File) - Demonstrators chant as they hold signs against the genocide of Tamils in Sri Lanka, in front of the US Department of State, in February 2009. The Sri Lankan government on Monday said it would investigate war crimes allegations made against its troops in a US State Department report.(AFP/File/Paul J. Richards)

A poster of slain Liberation Tamil Tiger separatist leader Velupillai ...

(AFP/File) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 09:47:12 GMT

(AFP/File) - A poster of slain Liberation Tamil Tiger separatist leader Velupillai Prabhakaran is seen in Mumbai in May 2009. The Sri Lankan government has rejected fresh accusations that Prabhakaran was executed after surrendering to security forces.(AFP/File/Pal Pillai)

Sri Lankan fishing boats in the water in a harbour at Beruwela ...

(AFP/File) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 23:32:54 GMT

(AFP/File) - Sri Lankan fishing boats in the water in a harbour at Beruwela in southern Sri Lanka on October 21. Canada is to release one of 76 Tamils arrested last week in a ship off its Pacific coast, local media reported Saturday.(AFP/File/Lakruwan Wanniarachchi)

In this Oct. 1, 2009 photo, former Sri Lankan child soldier ...

(AP) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 13:39:35 GMT

(AP) - In this Oct. 1, 2009 photo, former Sri Lankan child soldier Warnakulasuriya Anthony Sunil Rexy, right, laughs with another inmate as they play at a government rehabilitation center in the village of Ambepussa, about 60 kilometers (40 miles) northeast of capital Colombo, Sri Lanka. About 570 children are among an estimated 10,000 former rebels sent to rehabilitation centers after the 25-year war for a separate Tamil state ended in May. Tamils are an ethnic minority in Sri Lanka, an island country of 21 million people off the coast of India. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

In this Oct. 1, 2009 photo, a former Sri Lankan child soldier, ...

(AP) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 13:39:25 GMT

(AP) - In this Oct. 1, 2009 photo, a former Sri Lankan child soldier, center, attends a music lesson along with her group at a government rehabilitation center in the village of Ambepussa, about 60 kilometers (40 miles) northeast of capital Colombo, Sri Lanka. About 570 children are among an estimated 10,000 former rebels sent to rehabilitation centers after the 25-year war for a separate Tamil state ended in May. Tamils are an ethnic minority in Sri Lanka, an island country of 21 million people off the coast of India. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

In this Oct.1, 2009 photo, former Sri Lankan child soldiers ...

(AP) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 13:39:21 GMT

(AP) - In this Oct.1, 2009 photo, former Sri Lankan child soldiers watch others at a government rehabilitation center in the village of Ambepussa, about 60 kilometers (40 miles) northeast of capital Colombo, Sri Lanka. About 570 children are among an estimated 10,000 former rebels sent to rehabilitation centers after the 25-year war for a separate Tamil state ended in May. Tamils are an ethnic minority in Sri Lanka, an island country of 21 million people off the coast of India. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

In this Oct. 1, 2009 photo, former Sri Lankan child soldier ...

(AP) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 13:39:20 GMT

(AP) - In this Oct. 1, 2009 photo, former Sri Lankan child soldier Warnakulasuriya Anthony Sunil Rexy, right, laughs with other inmates as they play at a government rehabilitation center in the village of Ambepussa, about 60 kilometers (40 miles) northeast of capital Colombo, Sri Lanka. About 570 children are among an estimated 10,000 former rebels sent to rehabilitation centers after the 25-year war for a separate Tamil state ended in May. Tamils are an ethnic minority in Sri Lanka, an island country of 21 million people off the coast of India. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

In this Oct. 1, 2009 photo, a group of former Sri Lankan child ...

(AP) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 13:39:11 GMT

(AP) - In this Oct. 1, 2009 photo, a group of former Sri Lankan child soldiers play a game at a government rehabilitation center in the village of Ambepussa, about 60 kilometers (40 miles) northeast of capital Colombo, Sri Lanka. About 570 children are among an estimated 10,000 former rebels sent to rehabilitation centers after the 25-year war for a separate Tamil state ended in May. Tamils are an ethnic minority in Sri Lanka, an island country of 21 million people off the coast of India. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

In this Oct. 1, 2009 photo, former Sri Lankan child soldiers ...

(AP) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 13:38:54 GMT

(AP) - In this Oct. 1, 2009 photo, former Sri Lankan child soldiers wait with their plates during a lunch break at a government rehabilitation center in the village of Ambepussa, about 60 kilometers (40 miles) northeast of capital Colombo, Sri Lanka. About 570 children are among an estimated 10,000 former rebels sent to rehabilitation centers after the 25-year war for a separate Tamil state ended in May. Tamils are an ethnic minority in Sri Lanka, an island country of 21 million people off the coast of India. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

In this Oct.1, 2009 photo, former Sri Lankan child soldiers ...

(AP) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 13:38:41 GMT

(AP) - In this Oct.1, 2009 photo, former Sri Lankan child soldiers attend a lesson in a classroom at a government rehabilitation center in the village of Ambepussa, about 60 kilometers (40 miles) northeast of capital Colombo, Sri Lanka. About 570 children are among an estimated 10,000 former rebels sent to rehabilitation centers after the 25-year war for a separate Tamil state ended in May. Tamils are an ethnic minority in Sri Lanka, an island country of 21 million people off the coast of India. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

In this Oct.1, 2009 photo, a former Sri Lankan child soldier ...

(AP) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 13:38:31 GMT

(AP) - In this Oct.1, 2009 photo, a former Sri Lankan child soldier leans against a wall with a poster showing a child soldier in a classroom at a government rehabilitation center in the village of Ambepussa, about 60 kilometers (40 miles) northeast of capital Colombo, Sri Lanka. About 570 children are among an estimated 10,000 former rebels sent to rehabilitation centers after the 25-year war for a separate Tamil state ended in May. Tamils are an ethnic minority in Sri Lanka, an island country of 21 million people off the coast of India. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

In this Oct. 1, 2009 photo, a group of former Sri Lankan child ...

(AP) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 13:38:19 GMT

(AP) - In this Oct. 1, 2009 photo, a group of former Sri Lankan child soldiers attend a music lesson in a classroom at a government rehabilitation center in the village of Ambepussa, about 60 kilometers (40 miles) northeast of capital Colombo, Sri Lanka. About 570 children are among an estimated 10,000 former rebels sent to rehabilitation centers after the 25-year war for a separate Tamil state ended in May. Tamils are an ethnic minority in Sri Lanka, an island country of 21 million people off the coast of India. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

A general view of thousands of UNHCR tents, occupied by Internaly ...

(AFP/File) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 17:38:55 GMT

(AFP/File) - A general view of thousands of UNHCR tents, occupied by Internaly Displaced Persons, in Manik Farm in Sri Lanka in May 2009. Sri Lanka, under pressure to release 250,000 Tamil civilians displaced in the final defeat of Tamil Tiger rebels, has begun resettling some who fled their homes more than two years ago.(AFP/File/Joe Klamar)

A Sri Lankan policeman stands guard on the perimeter fence of ...

(AFP/POOL/File) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 17:37:19 GMT

(AFP/POOL/File) - A Sri Lankan policeman stands guard on the perimeter fence of an Internally Displaced Person camp in the northern Sri Lankan town of Vavuniya in May 2009. The office of the UN human rights chief renewed its call Friday for a probe into alleged war crimes committed by Sri Lankan troops and Tamil rebels during the final stages of the country's civil war.(AFP/POOL/File/David Gray)

File photo shows a Sri Lankan soldier in Colombo. The United ...

(AFP/File) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 06:55:26 GMT

(AFP/File) - File photo shows a Sri Lankan soldier in Colombo. The United States has urged the island-state to probe allegations of war crimes committed by government troops and Tamil rebels during the final months of their decades-old conflict.(AFP/File/Lakruwan Wanniarachchi)

An internally displaced ethnic Sri Lankan Tamil child sleeps ...

(AP) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:23:19 GMT

(AP) - An internally displaced ethnic Sri Lankan Tamil child sleeps in a makeshift cradle, before being sent back home from a refugee camp, at Kathankulam village in Mannar, about 230 kilometers (144 miles) north of Colombo, Sri Lanka, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2009. 4,300 ethnic Tamils were sent home by the government to former rebel-held villages Thursday after spending months in overcrowded refugee camps. Resettlement Minister Rishard Badurdeen says the people resettled Thursday were among some 41,000 people cleared to be sent home in areas formerly controlled by the Tamil Tiger rebels. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

A Sri Lankan Army soldier stands guard next to internally displaced ...

(AP) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:18:09 GMT

(AP) - A Sri Lankan Army soldier stands guard next to internally displaced ethnic Tamil civilians waiting to be returned to their villages, at Kathankulam, in Mannar, about 230 kilometers (144 miles) north of Colombo, Sri Lanka, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2009. Some 4,300 ethnic Tamils were sent home by the government to former rebel-held villages Thursday after spending months in overcrowded refugee camps. Resettlement Minister Rishard Badurdeen says the people resettled Thursday were among some 41,000 people cleared to be sent home in areas formerly controlled by the Tamil Tiger rebels. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

An internally displaced ethnic Sri Lankan Tamil woman holds ...

(AP) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:17:18 GMT

(AP) - An internally displaced ethnic Sri Lankan Tamil woman holds her child they waits along with others to return home from a refugee camp, at Kathankulam village in Mannar, about 230 kilometers (144 miles) north of Colombo, Sri Lanka, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2009. some 4,300 ethnic Tamils were sent home by the government to former rebel-held villages Thursday after spending months in overcrowded refugee camps. Resettlement Minister Rishard Badurdeen says the people resettled Thursday were among some 41,000 people cleared to be sent home in areas formerly controlled by the Tamil Tiger rebels. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Internally displaced ethnic Sri Lankan Tamil civilians queue ...

(AP) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:14:54 GMT

(AP) - Internally displaced ethnic Sri Lankan Tamil civilians queue ahead of a security check before being sent back home from a refugee camp, at Kathankulam village in Mannar, about 230 kilometers (144 miles) north of Colombo, Sri Lanka, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2009. Some 4,300 ethnic Tamils were sent home by the government to former rebel-held villages Thursday after spending months in overcrowded refugee camps. Resettlement Minister Rishard Badurdeen says the people resettled Thursday were among some 41,000 people cleared to be sent home in areas formerly controlled by the Tamil Tiger rebels. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

An ethnic Sri Lankan Tamil woman who was held in an internally ...

(Reuters) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:59:02 GMT

(Reuters) - An ethnic Sri Lankan Tamil woman who was held in an internally displaced people (IDP) camp, smiles as she leaves Kathankulam village in Mannar, 230 kilometres (144 miles) north of Colombo, October 22, 2009. About 4,300 IDPs returned to their homes, in former rebel-held villages on Thursday, after spending months in refugee camps. REUTERS/Stringer (SRI LANKA SOCIETY CONFLICT POLITICS)

A family of internally displaced ethnic Sri Lankan Tamils sit ...

(Reuters) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:56:50 GMT

(Reuters) - A family of internally displaced ethnic Sri Lankan Tamils sit as they wait to go home at Kathankulam village in Mannar, 230 kilometers (144 miles) north of Colombo, October 22, 2009. About 4,300 internally displaced people (IDP) returned to their homes, in former rebel-held villages on Thursday, after spending months in refugee camps. QUALITY FROM SOURCE REUTERS/Stringer (SRI LANKA SOCIETY CONFLICT POLITICS)

A soldier stands next to two internally displaced ethnic Sri ...

(Reuters) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:55:47 GMT

(Reuters) - A soldier stands next to two internally displaced ethnic Sri Lankan Tamils as they wait to go home at Kathankulam village in Mannar, 230 kilometers (144 miles) north of Colombo, October 22, 2009. About 4,300 internally displaced people (IDP) returned to their homes, in former rebel-held villages on Thursday, after spending months in refugee camps. REUTERS/Stringer (SRI LANKA SOCIETY CONFLICT POLITICS)

Internally displaced ethnic Sri Lankan Tamil women kiss each ...

(Reuters) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:52:30 GMT

(Reuters) - Internally displaced ethnic Sri Lankan Tamil women kiss each other as they wait to go home at Kathankulam village in Mannar, 230 kilometers (144 miles) north of Colombo, October 22, 2009. About 4,300 internally displaced people (IDP) returned to their homes, in former rebel-held villages on Thursday, after spending months in refugee camps. REUTERS/Stringer (SRI LANKA CONFLICT SOCIETY)

A soldier watches over internally displaced ethnic Sri Lankan ...

(Reuters) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:52:27 GMT

(Reuters) - A soldier watches over internally displaced ethnic Sri Lankan Tamils as they leave Kathankulam village in Mannar, 230 kilometres (144 miles) north of Colombo, October 22, 2009. About 4,300 internally displaced people (IDP) returned to their homes, in former rebel-held villages on Thursday, after spending months in refugee camps. REUTERS/Stringer (SRI LANKA SOCIETY CONFLICT POLITICS)

Internally displaced ethnic Sri Lankan Tamil civilians travel ...

(AP) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:49:34 GMT

(AP) - Internally displaced ethnic Sri Lankan Tamil civilians travel on a tractor after being sent home from refugee camps, at Kathankulam village in Mannar, about 230 kilometers (144 miles) north of Colombo, Sri Lanka, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2009. More than 4,000 ethnic Tamils displaced by civil war left government-run camps Thursday, the latest to be released amid international criticism that Sri Lanka is moving too slowly to let thousands of others go. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Sri Lankan soldiers search for anti-personnel mines at Kathankulam ...

(AP) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:45:42 GMT

(AP) - Sri Lankan soldiers search for anti-personnel mines at Kathankulam village in Mannar, about 230 kilometers north of Colombo, Sri Lanka, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2009. More than 4,000 ethnic Tamils displaced by civil war left government-run camps Thursday, the latest to be released amid international criticism that Sri Lanka is moving too slowly to let thousands of others go.(AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Internally displaced ethnic Sri Lankan Tamil civilians wait ...

(AP) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:10:06 GMT

(AP) - Internally displaced ethnic Sri Lankan Tamil civilians wait for their turn to return to their villages at Kathankulam village in Mannar, about 230 kilometers (144 miles) north of Colombo, Sri Lanka, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2009. Sri Lanka has sent home 4,300 ethnic Tamils displaced in the final stages of the island's civil war. Resettlement Minister Rishard Badurdeen says the people resettled Thursday were among some 41,000 people cleared to be sent home in areas formerly controlled by the Tamil Tiger rebels. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Basil Rajapaksa, a senior advisor to his brother and Sri Lankan ...

(AP) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 12:57:21 GMT

(AP) - Basil Rajapaksa, a senior advisor to his brother and Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, lights an oil lamp during a resettlement program of internally displaced ethnic Tamil civilians at Kathankulam village in Mannar, about 230 kilometers (144 miles) north of Colombo, Sri Lanka, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2009. 4,300 ethnic Tamils were sent home by the government to former rebel-held villages Thursday after spending months in overcrowded refugee camps. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

An internally displaced ethnic Sri Lankan Tamil child looks ...

(AP) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 12:50:19 GMT

(AP) - An internally displaced ethnic Sri Lankan Tamil child looks on before being sent back home from a refugee camp, at Kathankulam village in Mannar, about 230 kilometers (144 miles) north of Colombo, Sri Lanka, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2009. 4,300 ethnic Tamils were sent home by the government to former rebel-held villages Thursday after spending months in overcrowded refugee camps. Resettlement Minister Rishard Badurdeen says the people resettled Thursday were among some 41,000 people cleared to be sent home in areas formerly controlled by the Tamil Tiger rebels. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Internally displaced ethnic Sri Lankan Tamil civilians carry ...

(AP) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 12:49:02 GMT

(AP) - Internally displaced ethnic Sri Lankan Tamil civilians carry their belongings before being sent back home from a refugee camp, at Kathankulam village in Mannar, about 230 kilometers (144 miles) north of Colombo, Sri Lanka, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2009. 4,300 ethnic Tamils were sent home by the government to former rebel-held villages Thursday after spending months in overcrowded refugee camps. Resettlement Minister Rishard Badurdeen says the people resettled Thursday were among some 41,000 people cleared to be sent home in areas formerly controlled by the Tamil Tiger rebels. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Internally displaced ethnic Sri Lankan Tamil civilians stand ...

(AP) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 12:47:32 GMT

(AP) - Internally displaced ethnic Sri Lankan Tamil civilians stand in a queue for a security check before being sent back home from a refugee camp, at Kathankulam village in Mannar, about 230 kilometers (144 miles) north of Colombo, Sri Lanka, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2009. 4,300 ethnic Tamils were sent home by the government to former rebel-held villages Thursday after spending months in overcrowded refugee camps. Resettlement Minister Rishard Badurdeen says the people resettled Thursday were among some 41,000 people cleared to be sent home in areas formerly controlled by the Tamil Tiger rebels. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

An internally displaced ethnic Sri Lankan Tamil child sleeps ...

(AP) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 12:43:16 GMT

A Sri Lankan soldier searches for anti-personnel mines at Kathankulam ...

(AP) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 12:33:01 GMT

(AP) - A Sri Lankan soldier searches for anti-personnel mines at Kathankulam village in Mannar, about 230 kilometers north of Colombo, Sri Lanka, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2009. 4,300 ethnic Tamils were sent home by the government to former rebel-held villages Thursday after spending months in overcrowded refugee camps. Resettlement Minister Rishard Badurdeen says the people resettled Thursday were among some 41,000 people cleared to be sent home in areas formerly controlled by the Tamil Tiger rebels. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

An internally displaced ethnic Sri Lankan Tamil child sleeps ...

(AP) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 12:28:00 GMT

(AP) - An internally displaced ethnic Sri Lankan Tamil child sleeps in a makeshift cradle, as his mother watches before they are sent back home from refugee camps, at Kathankulam village in Mannar, about 230 kilometers (144 miles) north of Colombo, Sri Lanka, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2009. 4,300 ethnic Tamils were sent home by the government to former rebel-held villages Thursday after spending months in overcrowded refugee camps. Resettlement Minister Rishard Badurdeen says the people resettled Thursday were among some 41,000 people cleared to be sent home in areas formerly controlled by the Tamil Tiger rebels. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Internally displaced ethnic Sri Lankan Tamil civilians travel ...

(AP) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 12:27:00 GMT

(AP) - Internally displaced ethnic Sri Lankan Tamil civilians travel on a tractor after being sent home from refugee camps, at Kathankulam village in Mannar, about 230 kilometers (144 miles) north of Colombo, Sri Lanka, Thursday, Oct. 22, 2009. 4,300 ethnic Tamils were sent home by the government to former rebel-held villages Thursday after spending months in overcrowded refugee camps. Resettlement Minister Rishard Badurdeen says the people resettled Thursday were among some 41,000 people cleared to be sent home in areas formerly controlled by the Tamil Tiger rebels. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

Graphic on the 255 Tamil refugees from northern Sri Lanka who ...

(AFP/Graphic) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 07:10:45 GMT

(AFP/Graphic) - Graphic on the 255 Tamil refugees from northern Sri Lanka who are being held in an Indonesian port while they plea for asylum.(AFP/Graphic)

Illegal immigrants stand on the deck of the 'Ocean Lady" ...

(AFP/RCMP/File) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 05:33:50 GMT

(AFP/RCMP/File) - Illegal immigrants stand on the deck of the 'Ocean Lady" that was intercepted October 17 in the Pacific Ocean off Canada's west coast. 76 migrants were arrested Saturday on a mystery ship off Canada's coast are believed to be Tamils fleeing Sri Lanka.(AFP/RCMP/File)

A newsagent displays the Sunday papers detailing the arrest ...

(AFP) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 14:38:16 GMT

(AFP) - A newsagent displays the Sunday papers detailing the arrest of Sri Lankan-born billionaire Raj Rajaratnam, who was investigated by the FBI for allegedly funding Tamil Tiger rebels, but there was no evidence against him, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka has said.(AFP/Ishara S.KODIKARA)

A Sri Lankan man (L) reads about the arrest of Sri Lankan-born ...

(AFP) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 08:24:05 GMT

(AFP) - A Sri Lankan man (L) reads about the arrest of Sri Lankan-born billionaire Raj Rajaratnam in a newspaper in Colombo on October 18. Rajaratnam was investigated for allegedly funding Tamil Tiger rebels, but there was no evidence against him, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka said Monday.(AFP/Ishara S.Kodikara)

File photo shows a Sri Lankan central bank official holding ...

(AFP/File) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 04:41:24 GMT

(AFP/File) - File photo shows a Sri Lankan central bank official holding up 1,000 rupee coins in Colombo. Singapore is urging local businessmen to explore investment opportunities in Sri Lanka following the defeat of the Tamil separatist insurgency there, a report has said.(AFP/File/Ishara S. Kodikara)

Sri Lankan activists demand greater media freedom in Colombo ...

(AFP/File) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 08:11:08 GMT

(AFP/File) - Sri Lankan activists demand greater media freedom in Colombo in September. A Sri Lankan editor was arrested for reporting on an alleged rift between a senior military commander and the government after the defeat of the Tamil Tiger rebels, police and his newspaper said Sunday.(AFP/File/Ishara S. Kodikara)

Sri Lankan voters walk out of a polling booth in Colombo in ...

(AFP/File) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 10:04:50 GMT

(AFP/File) - Sri Lankan voters walk out of a polling booth in Colombo in April 2009. Sri Lanka will hold early presidential and parliamentary elections, state radio announced Tuesday, as the government looks to gain from strong public support after its defeat of the Tamil Tiger rebels.(AFP/File/Lakruwan Wanniarachchi)