Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to the Philippines Nawalage Bennet Cooray handed over a donation of US $ 50,000 to that country’s Foreign Minister, Albert F. Del Rosario recently for relief operations in the wake of the enormous natural disaster suffered by the Philippines in recent weeks.   

Having witnessed the vast destruction caused to human lives and properties by the recent floods in the Cagayan de Oro and Iligan Cities in Mindanao Province of the Philippines, President Mahinda Rajapakse immediately conveyed his condolences to his counterpart, President Benigno S. Aqunio III and the government and people of that county on 21st December, 2011. He also instructed Sri Lankan Government officials to transfer urgently required funds for the recovery effort.  

In a far-sighted, visionary move the state under the guidance and unwavering commitment of President Mahinda Rajapaksa has launched the Ten Year Programme for a Trilingual Sri Lanka; a much awaited initiative which could be easily described as historic. Accordingly, year 2012 has been proclaimed by the government as the Year for a Trilingual Sri Lanka and the hope and prayer of the well meaning and thoughtful of Sri Lanka is likely to be that this ground-breaking project would succeed fully and be a boon to the citizenry of this country.  

We join the progressives of this country in wishing the Trilingual project all the very best. It should be plain to see that the initiative, if implemented flawlessly and enthusiastically, would deliver this country from some historic and tragic blunders which contributed in no small way towards the explosive emergence of the blighting 30 year conflict which bled Sri Lanka white and steadily undermined its well being.

Chaminda PERERA 

The Indian government yesterday said that the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) has many constructive recommendations which would lead to genuine national reconciliation. 

Addressing the media in Colombo visiting Indian External Affairs Minister S M Krishna said that Sri Lanka government is committed to implement the LLRC recommendations. 

He said that the efforts that were taken to end the three-decades conflict should now be employed towards the creation of genuine reconciliation and India is always ready to assist Sri Lanka in this respect too. 

“We are ready to help in whatever way we can in a spirit of cooperation and goodwill” , he added.  

Krishna said that the Sri Lankan government has on many occasions conveyed to India that it would work for a lasting solution based on the 13th Amendment.

On an invitation extended by President H. E. Mahinda Rajapaksa, the Emir of the State of Qatar, H. H. Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani will arrive in Sri Lanka on 15^th January 2012 on a two - day state visit which will be the first visit to Sri Lanka by a Qatari Emir. The Emir will be accompanied by Ministers and senior officials from the State of Qatar. 

The visit of H. H the Emir to Sri Lanka follows the first visit to Sri Lanka by the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar, H. E Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jabr Al-Thani in December 2011.

Minister Peiris had discussions with Mr. Blaise Compaore, President   of Burkina Faso, on Wednesday. At  this  meeting  the  Foreign  Minister  handed  over  a  personal  letter  from  President  Rajapaksa  to  the  President  of  Burkina  Faso.   President Campaore requested  that  his  warm  greetings  be  conveyed  to  the  President  of  Sri  Lanka.

To assess the Post- conflict Reconciliation and Developments in Sri Lanka  8th to 11th January, 2012

Minister of External Affairs, Professor G.L. Peiris called in the Ambassador of France to Sri Lanka Christine Robichon, on Tuesday 3rd January 2012, to register Sri Lanka’s acute concern on the issue of four stamps by “La Poste” of France depicting images related to the LTTE including its insignia, while being a proscribed group in France.

Now, it is time the world stopped the rant and took note of the comprehensive report that the Government has recently released of a fact-finding commission established to look into the last and decisive phase of the conflict during which the security forces have been accused of committing atrocities against an organisation that was bent upon dismembering Sri Lanka through the use of brutal force, said the Daily Pioneer editorial on January 4.

Even Mr. Rajapaksa's shrillest critics, who had rubbished the report even before it was published as an attempt by the Sri Lankan Government to deflect international pressure, have to now concede that the Commission has made an honest effort to document the truth, even questioning some of the Government's versions of the conflict," the editorial added.

While many have taken note of Sri Lanka’s development achievement of bringing its poverty levels down to just 7%, Economic Development Deputy Minister Mr. Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena has stated that all measures will be taken within the next few years to further reduce it to 2%. The Minister also pointed out that the Government has taken measures to increase the country's per capita income to US$ 4,000 by 2016.  

The news comes at an important juncture for Sri Lanka, being ranked among the top five countries in the world for its economic growth of more than 8% and also being ranked as a hot-spot tourist destination by The World Travel Market, the National Geographic travel Magazine and the Condè Nast Traveller.

SRI LANKA  

The coasts less travelled 

Until recently, the north and east parts of Sri Lanka were off-limits to tourists, and under the occupation of the Tamil Tigers. Going anywhere vaguely remote, other than the most popular spots, was ill-advised and meant tedious journeys bogged down by military checks. 

But now the country is Tiger-free, and for the first time in a long time travellers are being encouraged to return. 

As a consequence, the north and east coasts are undeveloped, their natural beauty unspoiled. You can find yourself the only tourist in the traditional villages, and the only person on some of the country's most beautiful beaches. Indeed, those beaches on the east coast have fine sand and calm, clear waters, unlike the surf destinations on the west.

Even as the world focussed on what the LLRC (Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission) would produce after months of hearings, President Mahinda Rajapaksa set up a ‘National Reconciliation Unit’ to facilitate the work of his Adviser on Reconciliation. All these in addition to the natural processes of reconciliation that the end of conflict engenders, boosted of course by concrete policies to put in place necessary infrastructure, resettle the displaced, clear landmines and reinvigorate economic activity, not to mention the rehabilitation and reintegration of thousands of ex-combatants – a practice unheard of in many parts of the world when it comes to people affiliated with terrorist organisations. The Advisor’s terms of reference included monitoring and reporting to the President on progress with regard to the Interim Recommendations of the LLRC, and promoting appropriate activities for this purpose through the relevant Ministries.

The US State Department was unfair in the observations made about the government's response to the report of Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) said President Mahinda Rajapaksa addressing editors at Temple Trees this morning.

President Rajapaksa said that on the matter of accountability a clear statement on how the government intends acting on LLRC recommendations was made by the Leader of the House when the report was tabled in Parliament.

The Report of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission in Sri Lanka was tabled in Parliament today, 16 December 2011, by the Leader of the House Hon Nimal Siripala de Silva.

The eight-member Commission, which was appointed by His Excellency the President Mahinda Rajapaksa on 15 May 2010 held its first sitting on August 11, 2010, which was followed by regular public hearings in Colombo and in the former conflict affected areas. This included field visits to meet people directly affected by the conflict. It received over 1,000 oral submissions and over 5,000 written submissions.

The statement made by the Leader of the House Hon Nimal Siripala de Silva in Parliament, setting out the government’s initial response to the major recommendations contained in the Report is annexed hereto.

http://www.priu.gov.lk/news_update/Current_Affairs/ca201112/FINAL%20LLRC%20REPORT.pdf

The Government of Sri Lanka with the support of IOM will launch a web-portal on "Migration, Health and Development" on Monday 19th December at the Ministry of Health auditorium in Colombo.  

The website will act as an information hub for the public, policy makers, researchers and industry groups to better understand the health, social and economic impacts migration has on migrant flows, outbound labour migration, internal migration, inbound migration and the impacts on families and children left behind.  

The web-portal will also contain technical fact sheets on the key findings of five research studies on migration health commissioned by the Inter-Ministerial Taskforce on Migration Health, in collaboration with IOM. These will appear in English, Singhalese and Tamil.

More supportive Approach to Sri Lanka needed says MEP 

Mr Geoffrey Van Orden MBE MEP 

Chairman of the Friends of Sri Lanka Group in the European Parliament

Following a recent visit to Sri Lanka, the Chairman of the European Parliament's informal 'Friends of Sri Lanka' Group has called for supportive engagement with Sri Lanka as it recovers from 30 years of conflict.

Conservative MEP and Defence Spokesman Geoffrey Van Orden has just returned from Sri Lanka where he met the President and senior Ministers, as well as MPs from a range of government and opposition political parties including the Tamil National Alliance. He met the Northern and Eastern Regional Governors, and on his visit to the former conflict areas in the North and East of the country, the Bishop of Jaffna, military commanders and many local people. He also visited the Detention Camp at  Boosa and a post-Tsunami village at Weligama.

Mr Van Orden commented:

If democracy is to be meaningful and command their respect, it must have a direct impact on their everyday lives. This necessarily calls for the closest possible interaction between government and the community. The mechanisms of government must have effective application at the grassroots level, in order to address issues and to provide relief, President Mahinda Rajapaksa said addressing the Bali Democracy Forum IV in Bali, Indonesia this morning.

It has always been important to us to ensure that the forms and institutions of democracy, far from being an ideal remote from the people, should be part and parcel of their experience, President added.   

It is worthy of note that Sri Lanka is the first country in Asia to have accorded women the right to vote, and they secured this right just two years after the en-franchise-ment of women in the United Kingdom.  

The diversity of Sri Lanka’s experience of constitutional and electoral systems is probably unique in the annals of political history. Our country has been governed under both the Westminster style Cabinet system and the Executive Presidential system which was introduced into our public law in 1978, he said at the inaugural session of the Forum.