Lanka participates in seminar to combat terrorist financing

COLOMBO, June 16, 2005: Law enforcement and regulatory professionals from Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Pakistan and the Maldives participated in a seminar this week to share best practices about improving the capacity of criminal investigators to detect, prevent, and prosecute terrorist financing.

Delegations from various regulatory and criminal justice sectors participated in the seminar, organised by the United States Department of Justice, a release said yesterday.

The program was designed to bring together these officials in roundtable discussions with experienced US experts to become more efficient and effective in investigating and prosecuting terrorist financing.

Seminar participants addressed topics such as improving legal framework, investigative strategies and tools, effective special units and task forces, asset tracing and prosecution of terrorist financing cases in court.

Meanwhile, the US Embassy and the Sri Lanka National Police have completed a new training program on Interview and Interrogation Techniques, Human Dignity and Ethics, and Community-based Policing at the Police Higher Training Institute in Colombo.

The training is an initiative of the US Department of State and the US Department of Justice. Two American law enforcement instructors spent eight weeks in Sri Lanka training National Police Officers.

US Department of Justice Training Coordinator Kevin Kittridge said: "Putting the needs of citizens first are an important part of any free society.