Malaysia to tackle LTTE remnants
Malaysia has pledged to cooperate with the Sri Lankan Government in
preventing LTTE remnants from carrying out operations from countries in
the region. Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama was given this
assurance when his Malaysian counterpart Anifah Aman called on him on
the sidelines of the 15th NAM Ministerial Meeting in Sharm El Sheikh,
Egypt.
Minister Bogollagama met his Malaysian counterpart to discuss matters
of mutual concern. Minister Bogollagama expressed his gratitude for the
assistance and cooperation extended by Malaysia during recent times,
when Sri Lanka was fighting terrorism. This, he asserted, Sri Lanka did
while trying to continue the development process, amidst ramifications
of the global financial crisis.
Thanking Malaysia for supporting Sri Lanka's application to join the
ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), Minister Bogollagama extended an invitation
to his counterpart to attend the Asian Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) in
Colombo in October this year. He also appreciated ongoing cooperation on
security matters between the two countries.
Minister Datuk Anifah Aman conveyed his congratulations to President
Mahinda Rajapaksa on the defeat of terrorism. He said that Malaysia
looked forward to assist Sri Lanka in its economic and social
development process in the post-conflict era.
Explaining the last stages of the humanitarian operation, Minister
Bogollagama stated that Military Forces were able to rescue 300,000
civilians who were held as human shield by the LTTE.
He said the Government was providing them with maximum facilities in
the welfare centres, while demining has commenced to pave the way for
the resettlement of the displaced people. He stressed that 10,000 cadres
of the LTTE had surrendered to the Security Forces and that only for
those who had committed serious crimes due process of law would be
initiated, while other would be rehabilitated. Minister Bogollagama
explained the outcome of the visit of UN Secretary General to Sri Lanka,
stating that an important joint statement was issued, which focused on
humanitarian assistance of IDPs, reconciliation process and
accountability.
Clarifying a point made by the Malaysian Foreign Minister, Minister
Bogollagama also emphasized that th
ere was adequate access for UN and INGOs to the Relief Centres.
Minister Bogollagama also met his Mauritian and Egyptian counterparts
on the sidelines of the NAM Ministerial Meeting.
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