Japanese peace envoy discusses Sri Lanka’s post-war developments

Representative of the Government of Japan for Peace-Building, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction in Sri Lanka Yasushi Akashi yesterday called on the External Affairs Minister Prof. G. L. Peiris and held discussions on the post-war developments in the country.

Akashi, who is on a six-day official visit to Sri Lanka, met Prof. Peiris at the Ministry today to review the progress of the reconciliation process and other issues associated with the conflict.

The Minister has appraised the special envoy in detail about the Government’s progress so far and future plans in implementing the recommendations of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC), the Ministry said in a statement.

Minister Peiris has briefed Akashi on the measures taken by the Government on the reconciliation process, including the launch of the trilingual language capability initiative and the recruitment of more than 700 Tamil speaking police officers in the Northern Province.

He has enlightened the visiting official of the Government’s initiative to appoint the Parliamentary Select Committee, consisting of all political parties in Parliament, to address political and constitutional issues.

The Minister has also explained that the work connected with the resettlement of internally displaced persons, the re-integration of ex-combatants and de-mining operations are almost complete.

The envoy was briefed on the Government’s infrastructure development in the Northern Province which is a key to the economic growth in the conflict-affected region. The land issues in the region and the measures to resolve land disputes through the proposed appointment of a Land Commission have also been discussed.