PM to open major South Asia media meet in Colombo

COLOMBO: Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayaka will open a major gathering of journalists and other media professionals of SAARC countries in Colombo on Saturday.

The Sixth South Asian Media Conference, the annual sessions of the South Asian Media Association (SAFMA),will be held in Colombo this year with media leaders representing SAFMA chapters in all eight SAARC member nations participating.

The Prime Minister will be the chief guest at the inauguration while the guest of honour will be Media and Information Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa.

Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama will be the chief guest at the closing session with former Minister and UNP Parliamentarian Lakshman Kiriella, representing Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe as guest of honour.

With prominent media personalities of South Asia’s expanding media industry, from the print, radio, television and Net media, attending the two-day conference at the Cinnamon Grand Hotel, Colombo, the cream of the region’s media is expected to converge in Colombo this weekend, bringing an international focus on Colombo.

Some 130 journalists from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, The Maldives, Nepal, and Pakistan and 70 Sri Lankan media professionals will attend the conference. The theme of this year’s annual SAFMA sessions is ‘Media, Peace and Poverty Alleviation’.

The invited keynote speaker will be 2006 Nobel Peace Laureate and poverty fighter Dr. Muhammed Yunus of Bangladesh.

The South Asian Free Media Association, founded in Islamabad, Pakistan in 2000, today has chapters in all eight SAARC countries and is affiliated with SAARC as the region’s premier media professionals’ body.

SAFMA annually holds several programmes with a focus on special subjects relevant to media professionals of the region, including a ‘journalists summit’ that is held parallel to the annual SAARC Summit, and programmes on aspect of professional ethics, technical standards and matters of bilateral and multi-lateral interest to the media of South Asia, home for one of the world’s largest media industries.

As host nation for the 2007 annual conference, the Sri Lanka Chapter takes over the regional Presidency of SAFMA for the ensuing year.