Archive for September 4th, 2008

Rs. 50 billion for road development

The Government has decided to channel all ADB funds for the development of roads that come under the purview of Provincial councils, said Media Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardene.

He said the Government has utilised Rs. 24,803 million out of Rs. 50,450 million allocated for road development activities for 2008.

The Government’s allocation for road development for 2008 is Rs. 50.7 billion which is a 50 per cent increase as against the allocation in 2006.

The countrywide road development drive includes widening of roads, construction of bridges, flyovers, ring roads, and super highways. Most highway projects and large scale bridge constructions are funded by donor countries. The Government only spends for land acquisitions, he said.

Several flyover projects to ease traffic congestion at the Nugegoda, Dehiwala and Kohuwala junctions are in the offing. More than 45 per cent of construction work on the Orugodawatte and Pannipitiya flyovers has been completed.

The Government has also allocated Rs.3,500 million for the maintenance of developed roads which is an increase of Rs. 2,500 million as against the allocation in 2004. We have been able to complete several high way projects such as Katukurunda - Matara project, Peliyagoda-Puttalam Road and Ratnapura-Balangoda-Bandarawela roads, the Minister said.

“We have implemented a massive road development drive in the Eastern province under the Neganahira Navodaya. This project will help revive the development in the Eastern province which had been under the clutches of terrorists.”

Courtesy: Lankapuvath

“Civilians should be allowed to move freely to liberated areas” - UN

With the announcement of the Ministry of Defence that a “humanitarian corridor” has been established to assist the Internally Displaced People (IDPs) in the non-liberated areas in the North to move to liberated safe areas, the United Nation’s Resident Representative in Sri Lanka states that such people in need should be allowed to move without any hinderance.

Issuing a public statement, the UN Representative, Neil Buhne said that any displaced person is entitled to freedom of movement according to international principles; they can move where and when they want, in search of safety and assistance.

The LTTE has been continuously accused of using civilians as a human shield in the areas where the security forces are confronting the terrorist. Despite all the factual evidence of LTTE using civilians to prevent military attacks the terrorists have continued to coerce people living in areas under their control to prevent them from fleeing to liberated areas.

Meanwhile, the United Nations office said that it has been providing supplies to the displaced in the Wanni, accessible only through the Omanthai Entry/Exit point, 50km south of Kilinochchi. Buhne said supplies were reaching the displaced despite the access difficulties, but he warned that the situation was very precarious.

Courtesy: Government Information Department

UN urges LTTE to release stranded civilians

(By: Walter Jayawardhana)

The United Nation’s Resident representative in Sri Lanka requested that all civilians who want to move out of the non-liberated areas in the North should be allowed to move out without any hindrance.

“Any displaced person is entitled to freedom of movement according to international principles; they can move where and when they want, in search of safety and assistance,” Neil Buhne, the UN Resident representative said in a public statement.

The statement followed after a Ministry of Defense statement that said Monday that it had taken swift measures to establish a humanitarian corridor so that civilians trapped in the area controlled by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) can escape to safe ground.

Earlier there had been allegations by the Amnesty International and other Tamil leaders that the LTTE had driven civilians to the war prone areas in the North so that they could be used as a human shield.

The United Nations office said, The UN has been providing supplies to the displaced in the Wanni, accessible only through the Omanthai Entry/Exit point, 50km south of Kilinochchi. Buhne said supplies were reaching the displaced despite the access difficulties, but he warned that the situation was very precarious.

“We continue to have access to the bulk of the IDPs, but the situation is very fluid,” Buhne said. “It is difficult for us to supply them when they are on the move.”

Government officials in Kilinochchi also warned that distribution of supplies into the Wanni could be easily blocked. “There is only one road [with access to government-controlled areas], the A9 and one access point,” the government agent in Kilinochchi, Nagalingam Vedanayagam, told a relief related website. “If that route closes [due to fighting], the Wanni is cut off.”

The Sri Lankan government last week appealed to civilians and IDPs remaining in the Wanni to move south and reach government-controlled areas through the Omanthai gate.

“We want the civilians to come to Vavuniya [south of Vanni]; we have established all facilities in Vavuniya,” Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa told reporters at the Foreign Ministry in Colombo on 28 August.

The Ministry of Disaster Management and Human Rights said the government was increasing facilities available in Vavuniya to assist the IDPs.

“The Government of Sri Lanka has decided to further develop Vavuniya as a storage and logistic hub for humanitarian assistance including food and non-food items,” the Ministry said in a statement on 1 September. “The ongoing efforts of the Government in this connection are complemented by international partners who have also commenced stockpiling food and humanitarian supplies.”

Nonetheless, no significant movement of people southwards from Kilinochchi has occurred, according to military spokesman Brig Udaya Nanayakkara. “So far we have not seen a big increase,” he said, “maybe it will happen in the coming days.”

The UN office however said they would attempt to deliver relief supplies wherever the IDP’s are.

Courtesy: Ministry of Defence

Wanni liberation in progress despite heavy terror resistance

Following heavy clashes that lasted for two days since Monday (Sept 1) in Akkarayankulama and Nachchikudha areas on the southern Kilinochchi warfront, troops of Army 57 division and Task Force 1 have been able to dominate several locations of the 18 Km long terror defence. LTTE terrorist s gave their fullest effort to halt soldiers’ advance but aborted their mission after suffering heavy losses to the life and the material . At present, troops are consolidating their positions.

According to the defence sources, the terror defence in the South of Kilinochchi is consisting of an earth bund running Zigzag from Nachchikudha to Akkarayankulama along with many military trenches, bunkers and strong points.

On Tuesday (Sept 2) morning, snipers deployed in the Akkarayankulama area reported shooting of two terrorists.

Also, Troops of Task Force 1 attacked an LTTE bunker located in the Vannerikulama area around 12 noon and claimed 7 terrorists killed. Two soldiers suffered injuries during this incident.

Meanwhile on the Vavuniya front, troops of Task Force 2 had series of clashes in the Palamodai area during daytime yesterday and claimed having killed 7 terrorists and wounded 4 others. Troops also found a telescope and a Radio communication set of LTTE during subsequent searches.

Army 56 division troops operating on the same front attacked an LTTE bunker located in the Navatkulama area last evening. Troops confirmed one terrorist was killed in this incident.

Meanwhile on the Mullaittiuvu Eastern front, troops of Army 59 division had daylong clashes with the terrorist in the Andankulama area. Troops confirmed 3 terrorists were killed, 2 others wounded and 4 more were either killed or wounded due to the clashes. One solder went missing in action and 2 others suffered injuries. Troops also found a terror bunker and 5 military trenches abandoned by the terrorists.

Troops removes 14 AP (anti personnel) mines from the Andankulama area during the day’s operations.

In the Jaffna theatre of battle, snipers deployed in the Nagarkovil and Muhamalai areas claimed one terrorist was shot down during morning hours.

Counter terror operations are being continued.

Courtesy: Ministry of Defence

Malaysia targets Sri Lanka’s leisure travelers

The Malaysian High Commission and Tourism Malaysia, in a bid to harvest Sri Lanka’s outbound tourist traffic announced the launching of their marketing programme which intends to target Sri Lanka’s leisure traffic.

As a first step of this plan a product presentation and interactive business session with the travel trade which conducted last morning yielded good results with over 100 Sri Lankan travel agents showing interest in promoting Malaysia as a travel destination, said Director of Tourism Malaysia Manoharan Periasamy.

Periasamy is leading a 14 member delegation from Malaysia comprising of travel agents, tour operators and members of the hospitality industry and hopes to provide an opportunity for members of the Malaysian and Sri Lankan trade fraternities to explore mutual business prospects.

Malaysia views Sri Lanka as an emerging market and hopes to capitalize on this information in order to boost the leisure traffic inflow from south East Asian countries. Sri Lanka at present registers the 3rd largest inflow of tourists from the region.

Periasamy pointed out that Malaysia was easily accessible from Sri Lanka considering that 13 direct flights a week are being offered by the two carriers; SriLankan Airlines and Malaysian Airlines. Furthermore, travel within the country is unproblematic considering the two domestic carriers; Air Asia and Firefly operate flights within the country. Further Malaysia is a hospitable destination for tourists with its many theme parks, eco tourism sites and unique cuisine.

Courtesy: Lankapuvath