The Chief Guest at the inaugural sessions of the ‘Defence Seminar – 2013’ Mr Lalith Weeratunge, Secretary to HE the President in his brief presentation on ‘LLRC: The Way Forward’ elaborated on the challenges the government is facing in reconstruction and rebuilding efforts.
Here are the excerpts of his address to the occasion;
“Relief programmes, resettlement, reconstruction, economic reviews, promotion of investments, political consensus building, establishing an inclusive society, social cohesions, holding elections and enhancing delivery of public services are the priorities on the road to reconciliation and rebuilding.
LLRC is our own home-grown reconciliation mechanism. Government has been telling the whole world there is nothing the foreign countries can help us. They can help us to find our own indigenous solution for a indigenous mechanism.
LLRC recommendations encapsulate national plan of action, international humanitarian law issues, human rights, land return and resettlement, reconciliation, etc. In this process the government has been able to reach out to marginalized groups or vulnerable sections in the society as has never been done in the country in the past. A ten year plan providing trilingual skills to all school children, 1.3 million government officers and the general public is now in place.
After the end of the conflict, the government found thousands of square kilometers of lands in northern and eastern parts of the country infested with landmines and it delayed the resettlement.
The international community kept on saying resettle these people, but forgetting that fact conveniently. These areas were certainly not safe for people to go and live. So the demining has taken place. 85% of this area has been cleared by the Sri Lanka Army and I congratulate for the task which was very risky.
We will see a Sri Lanka which will ensure that there is great harmony and national unity among all the ethnic communities living here”, Mr Weeratunge said.
Here are the excerpts of his address to the occasion;
“Relief programmes, resettlement, reconstruction, economic reviews, promotion of investments, political consensus building, establishing an inclusive society, social cohesions, holding elections and enhancing delivery of public services are the priorities on the road to reconciliation and rebuilding.
LLRC is our own home-grown reconciliation mechanism. Government has been telling the whole world there is nothing the foreign countries can help us. They can help us to find our own indigenous solution for a indigenous mechanism.
LLRC recommendations encapsulate national plan of action, international humanitarian law issues, human rights, land return and resettlement, reconciliation, etc. In this process the government has been able to reach out to marginalized groups or vulnerable sections in the society as has never been done in the country in the past. A ten year plan providing trilingual skills to all school children, 1.3 million government officers and the general public is now in place.
After the end of the conflict, the government found thousands of square kilometers of lands in northern and eastern parts of the country infested with landmines and it delayed the resettlement.
The international community kept on saying resettle these people, but forgetting that fact conveniently. These areas were certainly not safe for people to go and live. So the demining has taken place. 85% of this area has been cleared by the Sri Lanka Army and I congratulate for the task which was very risky.
We will see a Sri Lanka which will ensure that there is great harmony and national unity among all the ethnic communities living here”, Mr Weeratunge said.
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