March 1, 2007
Sri Lanka halts sale of telecom services to embattled regions
Sri Lanka suspended sales of telephones and mobile phone cards in the embattled north and east of the country as troops stepped up attacks against Tiger rebels, an official said Thursday, according to the AFP.
"The move was temporary and aimed at preventing guerrillas making use of phone services for military operations, telecoms watchdog chief Kanchana Ratwatte said.
... In January, authorities restored mobile services to the eastern region after it was blacked out for several weeks due to military reasons.
Mobile services in the north were restored in December after being out of service for at least six months due to the ethnic conflict.
Over 60,000 people have died during the 35-year conflict in which the minority Tamils are fighting for an independent homeland. Despite a 2002 Norwegian-brokered truce, more than 4,000 people have been killed in the past 15 months."
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