Colombo  - The Sri Lankan Navy destroyed a medium-sized vessel carrying a large quantity of military hardware for Tamil rebels in a pre-dawn raid off north-eastern Sri Lanka, Defence Ministry spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said Saturday.

The vessel was spotted and confronted off Mullaitivu, 410 kilometres north-east of the capital, he said.

Four more boats attempting to provide escort to the rebel vessel were also sunk in the same area, he said.

Colombo - Fighting between government troops and Tamil separatist rebels intensified in northern Sri Lanka as troops pressed into rebel strongholds, military officials said Wednesday.

More than a dozen rebels were killed Tuesday night in Ampakamam, Mullaitivu, 380 kilometres north-east of Colombo, the military said.

Government troops were consolidating positions after heavy fighting left at least 120 rebels and 25 soldiers dead and 10 soldiers missing Tuesday in clashes outside Kilinochchi, 370 kilometers north of the capital.

The Defence Ministry said more than 250 rebels and 160 soldiers were injured in clashes on Tuesday, but the pro-rebel Tamilnet website said 130 soldiers had been killed and 24 bodies had been recovered.

Colombo - Government troops took control of a rebel-held village in northern Sri Lanka as they pressed the offensive into the the last strongholds of Tamil insurgents, the Defence Ministry said Monday.

Troops reportedly met heavy resistance as they advanced into Ampakamam village in the Mullaitivu district Monday morning, but no details of casualties were released.

The ministry said rebels had taken used the village as a command post during the government offensive.

The village is about 20 kilometres east of a key highway that army troops have retaken, military officials said.

Colombo- Fighting continued in northern Sri Lanka amid increasing casualties on both sides as government troops moved closer to strategic locations, military officials said Friday.

The army said its troops confronted rebels in several areas surrounding the town of Kilinochchi, 370 kilometres north of the capital, Colombo, on Thursday, inflicting heavy casualties among the rebels.

But Tamil rebels said the death toll among the army's soldiers had increased from 90 to 120 in fighting on Wednesday around Kilinochchi, a claim denied by the military.

Colombo - Heavy fighting raged between government troops and Tamil rebels in northern Sri Lanka as soldiers inched their way into rebel-controlled areas amidst mounting casualties on both sides, reports from the area said, officials and rebel sources said Thursday.

Tamil rebels claimed they killed 89 soldiers in fighting outside Kilinochchi town, 360 kilometres north of the capital, on Wednesday, but the military claimed they lost only 20 soldiers in the fighting and killed at least 27 rebels.

Colombo, Dec. 9 : During a UNDP meeting held here, experts have proposed a five-point action agenda to reduce inequalities within and between countries in Asia, which they say have contributed to social strife.

It was felt that while Asia and the Pacific is the fastest growing region in the world, the benefits of growth have been distributed unevenly, benefiting certain countries more than others.