Archive for September 26th, 2008
Watch ITN Sinhala News 2008 - 09 - 25
Embilipitiya paper factory starts rolling again
The Embilipitiya Factory for paper manufacturing which was closed from the year 2001has resumed its production. Senior Presidential Adviser and Parliamentarian Basil Rajapakse and other state officials were present at the opening ceremony of the factory yesterday (24).
Speaking to Lankapuvath, Industry Development Minister Jayathissa Ranaweera said that 30% of the paper needed for the country can be filled by this factory and over 20-25 tons of papers are manufactured per day. He further said that the Factory was established in the year 1970 and was closed in 1999 and which began its work once more in 2000, and closed in 2001.
Keeping to ‘Mahinda Chinthana’ the factory restarted its work yesterday (24) and the project has cost over Rs 150 million. The Minster also said that over 500 workers are employed in the factory.
The Nation Building Ministry has given away Rs 25 million for the factories development and Omalpe Sopitha Thera played a major role in bringing the factory to this level.
Senior Presidential Adviser and Parliamentarian Basil Rajapakse requested the management to pay the employees duly and not to suspend production at any cos
Courtesy: Lankapuvath
Sri Lanka refutes unfair allegations by HR Advocates at UNHRC
In a right of Reply exercised by Sri Lanka following the panel discussion and interactive dialogue on missing persons, under item 3 on Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development at the 9th Session of the Human Rights Council, on 22 September 2008, Mr. Yasantha Kodagoda, Deputy Solicitor-General, Attorney-General’s Department stated the following.
“Mr. Moderator, let me at the very outset express to the Government of Pakistan and its people my Government’s condolences regarding the most gruesome terrorist attack that took place in Pakistan last weekend.
Mr. Moderator, it is indeed very unfortunate that two organizations which addressed this august assembly abused this debate by engaging in a naming and blaming exercise distorting the truth. It was alleged Mr. Moderator, that an ethnic profiling exercise is afoot in Sri Lanka. We deny this allegation.
In Sri Lanka, we have a well functioning and vibrant Supreme Court which engages judiciously in the promotion and protection of human rights. It is unfortunate, Mr. Moderator, that the advocates of human rights who make these unfounded allegations against Sri Lanka, do not use this effective, domestic, legal remedy to obtain appropriate redress to the victims they allege to represent.
Mr. Moderator, we are indeed conscious that disappearances are a phenomenon that plagues human civilizations. We are committed to upholding the rule of law and working with UN mechanisms to resolve this issue even at a time when the very unitary character and the existence of my country are being threatened by ruthless terrorists.
Mr. Moderator, we fully endorse the continuation of this debate on disappearances during the future sessions of this council. In our view, this process should be aimed at supplementing the mandate of the UN working group on enforced disappearances and the very useful work being done in the field by the ICRC.
Thank you.”
Courtesy : The Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka to the United Nations Office at Geneva
USAID to build vocational schools in tsunami-affected areas
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is constructing four vocational schools in tsunami-affected Ampara and Batticaloa Districts as part of its Sri Lanka Tsunami Reconstruction Program.The Kaluwanchikudy Vocational Training Center will specialize in information technology and is part of a larger plan to make Kaluwanchikudy a hub for information technology in the East. The new center has attracted huge interest amongst the youth in Batticaloa and more than 500 students have been competing for the 143 slots.
Ninthavur is the hub for vocational training in Ampara, and the new district center will not only educate students of its own, it will also educate instructors to train at all the other vocational schools.
At the opening ceremony, Ambassador Blake reiterated the United States’ commitment to support stability, security, democratic governance, economic growth, and development in Eastern Sri Lanka. “Today, we are making a serious commitment to support your institutions and to improve the economic opportunities that impact all of the people in the East,” the Ambassador said.
“Providing education and training for the young people of Eastern Sri Lanka is a key piece in the overall goal of creating lasting development, growth and stability in the East,” he added.
USAID is also developing the vocational school program in partnership with the Vocational Training Authority (VTA) under the aegis of the Ministry of Vocational and Technical Training.
USAID has worked closely with the VTA and with Sri Lanka’s private sector to develop the curricula for the schools. The project’s success is in part due to the model public-private partnership put in place, between USAID, VTA and the Chevron Corporation, Prudential, and the Mellon Foundation.
Courtesy: Government Information Department
Sri Lanka urges Commonwealth to take practical steps to combat terrorism
Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama has called on the Commonwealth to move forward to evolve more practical measures to combat terrorism and draw from its wealth of experience to enhance the Commonwealth Plan of Action on Terrorism.
Speaking further, he said that it is for this purpose that Sri Lanka had proposed at the last CHOGM in Kampala to convene a Commonwealth Ministerial Conference on Terrorism in Colombo. The Minister suggested that the meeting be held at the level of Home/Interior Ministers.
The Foreign Minister further said that terrorism continues to pose a serious threat to global peace and security by causing economic and political instability. He therefore pointed out that democracies have become especially vulnerable to terrorism in today’s world.
In this context, he called on the Commonwealth Member States to explore pragmatic measures for information and intelligence gathering, capacity building of relevant national institutions, technical assistance programmes in counter terrorism. He also proposed that the Commonwealth Committee on Terrorism should meet early at the working level in London, to set the pace for the proposed ministerial meeting.
Minister Bogollagama speaking on the implementation of the Action Plan of the Munyonyo Statement on Respect and Understanding supported the proposal for a global event on this issue while having pointed out the need for the involvement of the wider global community to include non-Commonwealth countries and the corporate sector.
He emphasized the need for this event to be held in a Commonwealth country since adequate global exposure could be achieved as the organization is indigenous in its member countries. In his intervention, the Minister referred to Sri Lanka’s own experience of terrorism and identified peace building among youth as a priority of the government.
The minister also thanked the Commonwealth for funding peace building training programmes for youth in Sri Lanka. He observed that the Commonwealth Youth programme could contribute immensely through peace education programmes and indicated that Sri Lanka too was willing to participate in cross cultural exchange programmes involving school principals, teachers and students.
The Foreign Minister noted that Sri Lanka va1ues the work of the Commonwealth and its networking capability and recalled that Sri Lanka had in Kampala offered to host CHOGM 2011 which had been included in the final communiqué. At this meeting he reiterated this offer by Sri Lanka which was noted and referred to at the Commonwealth Heads of Government special meeting which was also concluded today. The Minister pointed out that the last time the Heads of Government of the Commonwealth met in Asia was in 1989 in Malaysia, and therefore it is appropriate that it be held in Asia at the earliest possible opportunity.
Courtesy: Government Information Department
