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| | Archives Mar-Apr 2009 |
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| | In Brussels, Sri Lanka re-brands itself to be ready to take off to reach its full economic potential |
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| | Ambassador Ravinatha Aryasinha has said,
at this time when the challenge of terrorism was ending and Sri Lankans are seeing light
at the end of the tunnel, it is important that the country re-brands itself and is ready to
take off and reach its full economic potential. Noting that despite adversity, in recent years
Sri Lanka sustained economic growth at around 6%, and continued to draw steady flows of foreign investment
and tourists, he said Sri Lanka was better prepared to shift gears in its race towards prosperity.
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| | Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Belgium,
Luxembourg and the European Union (EU) made these observations when he addressed the launch of a
comprehensive Sri Lanka Economic Promotion Programme in Brussels, which commenced with a 3
day Sri Lanka Sea Food Festival on 27 April 2009 at the Raddison BLU Hotel, under the patronage
of the Governor of Brussels Hugo Nys.
Read more...
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| | Sri Lanka Tourism Rebrands in Brussels |
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The Sri Lanka Embassy in Brussels, on behalf of the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, together with Sri Lankan Airlines launched the new brand of Sri Lanka Tourism, Sri Lanka – Small Miracle in the Belgian market last week.
Read more... |
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| | UNITED SRI LANKAN PAVILION AT EUROPEAN SEA FOOD EXPOSITION
IN BRUSSELS
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Sri Lanka Seafood exporters participated in the European Sea Food Exposition
held in Brussels from 28th-30th April 2009. The Embassy of Sri Lanka in Brussels
coordinated the presentation of the national pavilion in collaboration with
the Export Development Board. This is the first time that Sri Lanka organized its representation at this leading European seafood event under one banner with a national focus, to promote seafood exports to the EU market which currently imports approximately 70% of Sri Lanka’s total seafood supplies to the world. Sri Lanka today has
also emerged as the leading supplier of yellow fin tuna to the EU market.
Read more... |
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| | President’s appeal to Tamil civilians in NFZ |
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| | “I appeal to every one of you to come over to the cleared areas” states President Mahinda Rajapaksa to
the Tamil civilians held hostage by the LTTE in the No Fire Zone in the North of Sri Lanka.
Read more... |
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| | French Foreign Minister and UK Foreign Secretary condemned the LTTE
for holding the civilian population hostage in the “no fire zone” |
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| | The French Minister of Foreign and European Affairs
Dr. Bernard Kouchner and Secretary of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the United Kingdom
David Miliband is on an official visit to Sri Lanka at the invitation
of the Minister of Foreign Affairs Rohitha Bogollagama.
Read more...
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| | Government of Sri Lanka rejects accusation on denial of entry to Swedish Foreign Minister |
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| | The attention of the Government of
Sri Lanka has been drawn to reported statements alleging that a visa had been denied to the
Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt to visit Sri Lanka together with the French Foreign Minister
Bernard Kouchner and the British Foreign Secretary David Miliband.
Read more...
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| | SIR JOHN HOLMES, UN UNDER SECRETARY-GENERAL FOR HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS
AND EMERGENCY RELIEF COORDINATOR VISIT TO SRI LANKA
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| | The United Nations Under Secretary-General
for Humanitarian Affairs Sir John Holmes visited Sri Lanka on 26th and 27th of April on the invitation
of the Government. During his visit, Sir John Holmes had discussions with President Mahinda
Rajapaksa Foreign Minster Rohitha Bogollagama, Minister of Disaster Management and Human
Rights, Mr. Mahinda Samarasinghe and several other senior officials. He also visited the
relief centres accommodating displaced people in Vavuniya and the Omanthai transit
point where displaced persons escaping from the LTTE are received by the GOSL.
Read more...
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| | Foreign Minister hails armed forces for successful hostage rescue mission |
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| | Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama has praised
the Sri Lankan armed forces for carrying out the largest hostage rescue operation
in history by facilitating the flight to freedom of over 100,000
civilians who had been held captive by the LTTE in the no-fire zone
(NFZ) on the Mullaitivu coast. The Minister remarked that 102,790
ordinary civilians by voting with their feet to free themselves from
LTTE tyranny, have not only demonstrated their total rejection of the LTTE,
but also signalled their clear endorsement of the underlying humanitarian
objective of the armed forces.
The Foreign Minister made these observations while addressing the diplomatic
corps based in Colombo at the Foreign Ministry today (23 April 2009),
convened to brief them on the unfolding humanitarian situation in the North,
in the wake of the unprecedented exodus of over 100,000 civilians, who have
braved the bullets and other forms of violent intimidation unleashed by the LTTE, to flee to the
safety of cleared areas, since the early hours of Monday, 20th April 2009.
Read more...
Full text of Statement
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| | The Great Escape from Terror |
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In the 12 hours since 20 April 2009, I am, more than 30,000 Sri Lankan civilians have demonstrated in no uncertain terms their desire to live in freedom in their motherland, away from the stranglehold of their self-proclaimed liberators of the LTTE.
Read more...
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| | Sinhala & Hindu New Year Message
of H.E. Mahinda Rajapaksa
The President of Sri Lanka
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| | “Today our people from the North and
South, East and West will observe the traditions of the New Year ushering in a
new spring of abundance to the entire nation.
The people of the East who already enjoy their freedom will greet the New
Year with the traditional pot of boiling milk gathering the new harvest of liberation.”
Read more...
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| | Sinhala & Hindu New Year Message
of Hon. Ratnasiri Wickramanayaka
Prime Minister of Sri Lanka
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| | “Sri Lankans enjoy this pleasant moment
thanks to the selfless service of our heroic soldiers. War heroes’ parents celebrating this festival without experiencing the agony which
they had earlier is another significant feature of this New Year,”
Read more... |
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| | Sinhala & Hindu New Year Message
of Hon. Rohitha Bogollagama
Minister of Foreign Affairs
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| | “This year’s celebration of the Sinhala
and Hindu New Year is taking place in our country in a new atmosphere of hope
and anticipation that at last, the armed conflict is coming to an end.
Traditional festivities are taking place throughout the country with our people united
once again. This is a time for sharing with family and friends and for
renewal of expectations for future success and prosperity.”
Read more...
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| | Armed forces to restrict operations to defensive mode during Sinhala & Tamil New Year |
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| | President Mahinda Rajapaksa has ordered the armed
forces to restrict their operations to those of a defensive nature during the Sinhala & Tamil New Year. The President,
deeply conscious of the need to give the civilian population, trapped in the No Fire Zone(NFZ), the opportunity to
celebrate these festivities in a suitable atmosphere, has taken this decision, which would also enable
their uninhibited freedom of movement from the NFZ to the cleared areas.
Read more...
Full text of the statement issued by the President’s Office |
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| | Sri lankan Foreign Secretary discusses end of LTTE conflict with U.S. State Department Officials |
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| | Dr. Palitha Kohona, Sri Lanka’s foreign secretary,
met with top U.S. State Department officials Friday 10 April 2009. The end of the 25-year-long conflict with the
terrorist LTTE was at the core of the discussions. With about 500 LTTE combatants cornered by government security
forces in northeastern Sri Lanka, the foreign secretary told Richard Boucher, the Assistant Secretary of State for
South and Central Asian Affairs, that Sri Lankan forces are, consistent with government policy, exercising extreme caution
to safeguard civilians held hostage in the no-fire zone by the LTTE.
Read more... |
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| | Sri Lanka calls on European MEPs to influence diaspora communities they represent to bring
pressure on the LTTE to let go of the people they are holding as ‘human shields’ |
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| | Ambassador Ravinatha Aryainsha has told Members
of the European Parliament (MEPs) that some apologists among them are trying to save the LTTE
by calling for a ceasefire and trying to stop the Sri Lanka Government from militarily
defeating the terrorists, and that if MEPs really want to help affected civilians in
the uncleared areas in Sri Lanka, they should use whatever influence they had,
particularly with Tamil diaspora communities they represent, to bring pressure on
the LTTE to let go of the 50,000 people they are holding as ‘human shields’.
Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Belgium, Luxembourg and the EU, made these observations
in an intervention at a meeting of the South Asia Delegation of
the European Parliament Chaired by MEP Robert Evans on 31 March 2009.
Full text of Statement |
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| | Eurojust hosts tactical meeting on ‘LTTE front organisations’ |
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| | A Tactical Meeting on “LTTE Front Organisations”, was
hosted by Eurojust (the European Union’s Judicial Cooperation Unit responsible for co-ordination of investigations and
prosecutions between competent authorities in the Member States), on 30-31 March 2009 in the Hague, Netherlands.
The Meeting was attended by representatives of the Intelligence and Criminal Justice communities of EU member states,
non-EU countries including Sri Lanka, and the Europol.
Read more ...
Full text of keynote |
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| | Sri Lanka rebuts unfounded allegations in the European Parliament |
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| | “No military operation to defeat terrorism in the
world is conducted without difficulty to the civilian population who live in the afflicted area.
In the achievement of our military dominance over the LTTE, the civilians, held at gun point by
the LTTE have been the centre of our concerns. In the past 2 months, the Security Forces have held back
their strength, even at the cost of suffering casualties themselves. The ground reality has unfortunately
been disregarded in the European Parliament’s Resolution of 12 March and makes several unsubstantiated
assertions which the Government of Sri Lanka finds objectionable”. These observations were made by the
Charge d’ Affaires of the Sri Lanka Embassy in Belgium, accredited to the European Union, Ms. Saroja Sirisena,
at a meeting of the Human Rights Sub Committee of the European Parliament held in Brussels yesterday (30 March 2009).
Read more ...
Full text of Statement |
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| | Government seeks Partnership with Diaspora for Reconciliation and Peace building in the North |
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| | The Government of Sri Lanka is committed
towards developing a partnership with the Sri Lankan Diaspora in promoting a new era of peace through
reconciliation among the different communities and implementing an economic plan to reconstruct the war
ravaged North of the country. This pledge was made by Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama at the
inauguration of a two day Sri Lankan Diaspora Dialogue in Colombo yesterday( 28th March 2009)
organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Minister, elaborating on the involvement
with the Diaspora in the post conflict era, stated that the initial engagement should evolve
into a partnership with the Government as a stakeholder. This partnership, he said
would be through political empowerment of the people and economic development of the North.
Read more ... |
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| | Sri Lanka engages UN Security Council Members at an informal briefing |
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| | In a further demonstration of the Government policy of engagement
with the international community relating to the current situation in Sri Lanka, the Permanent Representative
of Sri Lanka to the UN, New York, Ambassador H.M.G.S Palihakkara briefed the Members of the UN Security Council
during an informal interactive discussion on Thursday, 26th March 2009. Sir John Holmes, Under-Secretary-General
for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator also briefed the gathering. The meeting was held outside
the formal structure of the UN Security Council. During the briefing, Ambassador Palihakkara addressed three broad
aspects of the current situation - humanitarian, security and political.
Read more ... |
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| | Sri Lanka seeks constructive dialogue with UN High Commissioner for Human Rights |
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| | The Government of Sri Lanka wishes to remain fully engaged with the UN High
Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms. Navanethem Pillay and her Office in addressing any particular issues
of concern relating to human rights. This desire has been conveyed in a letter from Foreign Minister
Rohitha Bogollagama in response to a Statement issued by the Human Rights Commissioner’s Office
on 13 March 2009. It may be recalled that during the telephone conversation between the Secretary General
of the UN, Ban Ki-Moon and President Mahinda Rajapaksa on 17th March 2009, it was agreed that the Foreign
Minister would make a formal response on behalf of the Government of Sri Lanka to the above Statement.
Read more ... |
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| | UN Resident Coordinator unable to vouch for civilian casualty figures |
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| | The UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sri Lanka,
Neil Buhne has stated that he is unable to confirm the veracity of the figures of civilian
casualties since 20th January 2009 in the conflict area of Mullaitivu District, contained
in an official report issued by his Office recently. He made this disclosure at a meeting
yesterday (24th March 2009) with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Rohitha Bogollagama held
at the Foreign Ministry, in response to a query from the Minister.
Read more ... |
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| | Positive sign in UN – Sri Lanka relations: UN Secretary General |
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| | The UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon
and President Mahinda Rajapaksa had a telephone discussion this evening where the matters discussed centered on,
inter alia, the humanitarian situation in the North, efforts of the Government to ensure the supply of food,
medicines and other assistance to the IDPs, conditions in the IDP villages, political initiatives by
the Government and
the recently published statement by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR).
Read more ... |
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| | Sri Lanka on verge of defeating terrorism – Hillary Clinton tells President Rajapaksa |
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| | The US Secretary of State Mrs. Hillary Clinton
acknowledged that Sri Lanka is now on the verge of defeating terrorism, and that this presented a great
opportunity to restore peace,
leading to reconstruction and rehabilitation in the country.
Read more ... |
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| | LTTE blocks evacuation of civilians from uncleared area in the Mullaitivu district |
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| | The LTTE poses the most serious obstacle preventing
the evacuation of civilians, who are confined to the safe zone in the narrow coastal strip in the Mullaitivu district.
Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama, referring to the dialogue with India and the US in this regard, explained that
the Government of Sri Lanka is at present unable to avail itself of the offers of assistance to evacuate the civilians,
made by these countries due to the LTTE’s fierce resistance in releasing the people, since the civilians have been
forcibly held against their will as human shields to protect key LTTE terrorist leaders and their families. T
he Foreign Minister explained the Government position to the British Shadow Defence Secretary, Dr. Liam Fox who
called on him yesterday (12 March 2009) in Colombo. Dr. Fox is currently on a brief visit to Sri Lanka, during
which he is scheduled to hold talks with key Government leaders
including President Mahinda Rajapaksa, as well as meet leaders of political parties.
Read more ... |
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| | Government Condemns LTTE Suicide Bomb Attack near Mosque |
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| | The Government condemns in the strongest
possible terms the LTTE suicide bomb attack on the Milad-un-Nabi Muslim Festival to mark the birthday of Holy Prophet
Mohammed, at Godapitiya, Akuressa, Matara this morning around 10.a.m. in which
14 persons were killed and many others injured, including a Government minister.
Read more ... |
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| | Government condemns LTTE attack on food ship to Mullaitivu |
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| | The Government of Sri Lanka strongly condemns
the artillery shelling by the LTTE today (9th March 2009) of a ship carrying urgent supplies of food and
other essential items to the civilians who are being held
hostage by the LTTE in the narrow coastal strip, north of Mullaitivu. |
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| | Addressing a media briefing at the Ministry
today, Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama vehemently denounced this cowardly attack
by the LTTE on an unarmed vessel engaged in a purely humanitarian mission to feed the
people. The LTTE is trying to starve these self-same Tamil people whom it claims
to represent, perhaps with the ulterior motive of giving credence to the myth of
starvation that is being circulated in some quarters internationally by the LTTE’s propaganda machinery.
Read more ...
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| | Government condemns attack on Sri Lanka Cricket Team |
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| | The Government of Sri Lanka vehemently condemns
the brutal terrorist attack on the Sri Lanka Cricket team in Lahore today (03 March 2009),
in which 6 members of the team were injured and 5 Pakistani policemen killed. |
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| | It is reported that a number of heavily
armed gunmen had opened fire at the bus carrying the Cricket team and the escort vehicle providing
security, while proceeding to the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore between 8.30 a.m. and 9.00 a.m.
(Pakistan time) for the 3rd day’s play of the 2nd Test Cricket match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Thilan Samaraweera and Tharanga Paranavitana who sustained gunshot wounds have been admitted to hospital,
while Kumar Sangakkara, Ajantha Mendis, Suranga Lakmal,
Thilina Thushara and the Assistant Coach, Paul Fabrece had received minor injuries.
Read more ... |
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