ITN Sinhala News 2009.07.03

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ITN Tamil News 2009.07.03

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President unfolds an array of lessons at Ananda College

“Before one becomes a leader, one must become a professional.Before becoming a professional,one must become a good citizen.Part of your life belongs to this nation.If you are to pay tribute to those who were ready to lay their lives for this nation,then I ask  that you prepare yourselves to giving a small part of your lives to this country”, observed President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the historic Buddhist educational institute of the country, Ananda College, Colombo this morning.

The President was the Chief Guest at a ceremony organised by the College to pay tribute to several  former Anandians who played a key role in the liberation of the nation from LTTE terrorism. Among those distinguished men were Prime Minister and Deputy Defence Minister, Ratnasiri Wickremenayake, Defence Secretary, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, Army Commander, Gen.Sarath Fonseka, Navy Commander,Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda,Director General,Civil Defence Force,Rear Admiral Sarath Weerasekere and second tier  commanders Maj.Gen.Jagath Dias,Maj.Gen.Kamal Guneratne,Brigadier Prasanna Silva and Brigadier Chagi Gallage.

Paying greater tribute to these valiant men, President Rajapaksa recalled the days of  Defence Secretary,Gotabhaya Rajapaksa and Gen.Sarath Fonseka’s days in the famous Vadamarachchi battle against the LTTE and added that  Read Admiral Sarath Weerasekere served on dvoras for many years.”All these valiant men served for long and engaged the terrorists’, the President stressed.

He  further  noted that having a righteous objective was not enough for a good leader as one has to stick to it and dedicate his life for its realisation.”The leader who abandons these objectives destroys both lives  and nation’, said the President.

He told the present day Anandians-” My dear  children,when selecting a team,one cannot always have the best men and women for the job.There are no perfect people.Yet, the leader should have the ability to train and develop people who share his vision.’.

President Rajapaksa in an array of lessons said-”Nothing is impossible in this world.The reason for our failures is the abandoning of righteous objectives believing them as unrealistic.There are only difficult tasks ahead of us but not the impossible.Its not the way of a good leader to give up just because it is difficult to achieve the task.Therefore, never give up on good objectives,just because it is difficult”.

Rare show of unity

(By : Rasika SOMARATHNA and Dhanushka GODAKUMBURA)

*Forum to meet once a month

*Eighteen parties represented

*JVP, UNP, TNA active participants

President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday urged all political parties to join hands and work as a team shedding differences, in forging national reconciliation and driving the nation towards rapid development.

President Rajapaksa made these observations addressing the inaugural session of the Presidential Committee on Development and Reconciliation at the Presidential Secretariat which was represented by 18 major national political parties in the country.

In a rare show of solidarity in national politics, Sri Lanka’s major political parties came under one roof, heeding the President’s call to sit at one table and discuss the burning issues faced by the country today.

Major parties like the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), United National Party (UNP), and Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) which were reluctant to take part in such events on previous occasions due to differences of opinion on political grounds, were active participants this time. Political analysts described the move as a new step towards establishing national unity, by which, Sri Lanka could uphold the claims made by President Rajapaksa that there were no minorities in the country, but only one race called Sri Lankans.

The active participation of the TNA in the forum has being viewed in a very positive manner as this is considered to be the first occasion where the party broke the ice and sat at one table with other major parties in the country, specially to discuss a solution to the ethnic issue and welfare activities of the displaced, in recent times.President Rajapaksa addressing party representatives said it was time to bury the hatchet of earlier animosities and make a fresh beginning.

He also emphasized the need to alleviate the sufferings of the displaced and affected people due to the conflict on a priority basis and to put in place a mechanism which could effectively help them to go back to their normal lives without fear or discrimination.

He pointed out that there were nearly 300,000 IDPs in camps and that their speedy and sustainable resettlement was the need of the hour.

To expedite resettlement in a meaningful way, the President drew the attention of the forum to lay focus in areas such as rebuilding the affected areas at the earliest possible by removing landmines, providing infrastructure and introducing viable livelihood projects.

“After the successful conclusion of the humanitarian mission – 01′ to liberate civilians held hostage by a terrorist outfit, its time to launch ‘humanitarian mission – 02′ to get them back on track with their normal lives”, the President said.

“We must forge unity and understanding considering the future”, the President said adding that it was of utmost importance to ensure equal opportunities to all people, irrespective of where they live.

He noted that it was his firm belief that there could be no reconciliation without development and both should go hand in hand. “To realise this twin objectives, we should bury petty political rivalries and work towards the common goal for the greater good of the nation”, the President added.

Following the vanquishing of LTTE terrorism, President Rajapaksa vowed to usher unity among all with the aim of achieving national reconciliation after three decades of blood shed. To realise this noble goal, the President sought the cooperation of all political parties to set up the Development and Reconciliation Committee.

The initiative launched yesterday garnered popular support by all main political parties in the fray, unlike such efforts in the past.

The initiative launched yesterday aims to prepare a practical road map with the objective of ushering a home grown resolution with the concurrence of all political parties at the earliest possible.

The forum will meet once a month under the President’s leadership.

Yesterday’s maiden session was represented by members of 18 political parties such as ACMC, CDUA, CWC, EPDP, JHU, LSSP, MEP, TNA, National Congress, NFF, NUA, JVP, SLFP, SLMC, TULF, TMVP, UNP and the UPF.

Other relevant stakeholders such as the SCOPP, APRC, officials of the Finance and Planning Ministry and Foreign Ministry participated in the deliberations.

Courtesy : Daily News

SLAF commemorates fallen War Heroes

The Sri Lankan Air Force paid tribute to fallen war heroes including 57 officers and 382 Airmen who have made their supreme sacrifice to obtain sustainable peace for Sri Lanka, today (July 3).

A commemoration parade was held at the Air Force base at Rathmalana preceding an all night Pirith chanting ceremony and alms giving for 50 priests, scheduled at the SLAF base Ekala on 03rd and 04th July, 2009.

Air Force Commander, Air Chief Marshal Roshan Gunethilake paid floral tribute to the War Heroes monument at the SLAF Base at Rathmalana this morning.

Courtesy : Ministry of Defence

Measures to promote fishing industry in the North

The Government has implemented number of programmes to promote the fishing industry in the north under the Uthuru Wasanthaya Programme, Minister of Fisheries Felix Perera said at a press conference held in Ja-ela yesterday (02).

He pointed out that over 67,500 metric tons of fish were transported to the south from the north annually before 1983. Over 39,000 fishermen in 219 villages in the north will benefit by the Uthuru Wasanthaya Programme.

Accordingly, fishermen will be  given boats, fishing nets and other equipment relevant to their trade. They are now free to engage in fishing 24 hours. Infrastructure facilities in the fishing villages to be develop.

Courtesy: Government Information Department

Dengue: Precautions urged

The Ministry of Healthcare and Nutrition has the  requested the public to be  alert on mosquito breeding grounds and the dengue epidemic these days.

The number of dengue patients reported from the country during last month was 5357, ministry sources warned.

The most affected districts have received occasional showers during the past weeks creating an ideal environment for dengue mosquitoes. The most affected districts are Kandy (2,071 cases and 26 deaths), Colombo (1,996 cases and 18 deaths), Kegalle (1,977 cases and 18 deaths), Gampaha (1,719 cases and 31 deaths) and Kurunegala (1,235 cases and 10 deaths). These areas receive occasional rains. Rain creates the best condition for dengue mosquitoes to breed since they prefer clean water, hospital sources added.

The Ministry urged the public to obtain medical treatment as soon as symptoms of dengue fever appear

It also recommends to the public to receive such treatment only from a government hospital or consult a registered government doctor.

The main symptoms are high fever over three days, nausea, headache and loss of appetit

Courtesy: Government Information Department

Safer childbirth – a success story in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka’s remarkable decline in maternal deaths is an commendable fact that could be emulated over the South Asian Region. Regardless of the 30-year-old civil war, Sri Lanka’s emergence as a success story in safer childbirth has been commended by diverse groups of medical professionals. Presenters at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (RCOG) South Asia Day conference will portray Sri Lanka as a model for cost-effective healthcare.

Running at relatively low healthcare budget compared with other countries in the region, Sri Lanka’s maternal and child health indicators are vastly more favourable than what would be expected. The maternal mortality ratio of Sri Lanka has declined dramatically as a direct result of the availability of midwives and trained assistance. “In 1960, the child mortality was 340 per 100,000, however, it was lowered into 43 per 100,000 live births in 2005,” Dr Hemantha Senanayake, from the University of Colombo, said.

‘Sri Lanka midwives made an important contribution and they are the backbone of local health care industry,” Dr. Hemantha Senanayake said. These midwives are recruited from villages close Maternal Care Centers and they are meant to serve, which ensures minimal geographic and cultural barriers. However, the hallmark of the procedure is that they are low-cost and indigenous.

At present, every household in Sri Lanka belongs to a certain Public Health Midwife (PHM) area and the norm is for the PHM to provide home-based care. During the past few decades the Government has made a policy decision to increase the number of midwives. The number of women having a minimum of 4 antenatal visits has reached 99% in Sri Lanka.

In addition, there have been other policy decisions that have had significant effects on maternal deaths. Home births have been discouraged (1% in 2006) and the availability of comprehensive emergency obstetric care is being expanded. Presently, 85% of births take place in facilities that have the services of a specialist obstetrician.

The provision of free education without gender discrimination over the past six decades has been a key non-health intervention that has had a major impact on maternal mortality. “Our experience demonstrates the fundamental importance of ensuring trained assistance at birth. These simple interventions have made a tremendous difference for women in Sri Lanka,” Dr. Hemantha Senanayake said.(JS)

Courtesy: Government Information Department