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Japanese grant of US $ 1.25 million for N-E rehabilitation, demining

by Ravi Ladduwahetty

The Government of Japan yesterday granted a sum of US$ 1.25 million to four NGOs as assistance for emergency humanitarian demining activities and rehabilitation of school buildings and communities in the North and East.

The four NGOs are; HALO Trust, Mines Advisory Group, Norwegian People's Aid and Bridge Asia Japan. The agreement was signed in the presence of the visiting Japanese Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi and Minister of Rehabilitation, Refugees and Resettlement Prof. Jayalath Jayawardena.

Visiting Japanese Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi said that she was pleased to be in Sri Lanka to witness a signing ceremony which provided Japanese assistance to support efforts of these four NGOs.

She hoped this grant would help create safe areas for the internally displaced persons returning home.

She said she visited the Jaffna peninsula and was able to see the serious living conditions in this conflict-stricken areas as well as the dangers posed to the civilian population by land mines.

"There is a strong need to assist people to rebuild the lives and communities and protect them from the threat of land mines," Kawaguchi said.

Minister of Rehabilitation, Refugees and Resettlement Prof. Jayalath Jayawardena said demining of most of the residential areas in the North is high priority and is not possible to initiate major programs of internally displaced persons in their original homes without demining.

"I am aware of the arduous process and magnitude of the task ahead. We need not only the financial and the technical assistance but also requisite training for the many volunteers and also the related equipment".

"There are at least 200,000 Internally Displaced Persons in the North and there is also people who are spontaneously returning home after the initiation of the peace process," Jayawardena said.

The signatories to the Agreement were Japanese Ambassador in Sri Lanka Selichiro Otsuka on behalf of the Government of Sri Lanka, Kenichi Minoda on behalf of Bridge Asia Japan, Senior Technical Advisor Stephen Bradley on behalf of Mines Advisory Group, Programme Manager Harrold Semdsrud on behalf of Norwegian People's Aid and Operations Manager Valon Kumora on behalf of the HALO Trust. 

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