No corruption and irregularities in post tsunami reconstruction
activities - President
PRESIDENT Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga has dismissed
allegations levelled against the Government by certain international
media that there was corruption and irregularities in post tsunami
reconstruction activities.
Speaking at a live interview telecast to mark the 25th anniversary of
CNN, ATS, President Kumaratunga said she did not know why the media was
saying the tsunami reconstruction work was not happening in Sri Lanka or
there was corruption.
She said this responding to a question by a journalist who
interviewed the President about the progress of the post tsunami relief
work in Sri Lanka.
She said: "I like to answer the question you raised. I do not know
how some media persons say that the tsunami reconstruction work is not
happening in Sri Lanka or that there is corruption, because after the
aftermath of the Tsunami catastrophe more than 120 heads of State
including the UN Secretary General, Heads of UN Agencies, International
VIPs and every single one of them have travelled in the country and
those who have been informed by their Ambassadors in Sri Lanka, every
one of them have told us and the newspapers of Sri Lanka and abroad,
that Sri Lanka is an exemplary case of how well the tsunami
reconstruction or any reconstruction after a natural disaster of this
magnitude has been handled.
"Just a few days ago we had the second visit from President Bill
Clinton, the special envoy of the UN Secretary General and he made a
clear public statement which was carried in all the newspapers that Sri
Lanka has handled the tsunami reconstruction very well.
There is no corruption because we do not distribute cash. Every
single tsunami family is entitled to an allowance of Rs. 5,000 a month.
From the month of January they collect them (the money) from the State
Bank and I do not know how there could be corruption,or irregularities." |