Construction on what will be the tallest twin tower in Sri Lanka will commence with a ‘ground-breaking’ ceremony next week.

Suchirindia, a Hyderabad based business group roots in real estate, has ventured into construction of twin towers of 40 floors and 70 floors marvel at Colombo, Sri Lanka, collaboration with NEB Rapid Infrastructure and the Government of Sri Lanka is being developed at a cost of US$ 250 million.

The residential tower is located close to the Parliament complex and proposed main terminals of metro railway.

The education system in Sri Lanka will be revamped with several initiatives scheduled to be launched next year, Minister of Education, Susil Premajayantha told Parliament today (21).

Accordingly a new act will be brought before the parliament with the necessary input of all the parties concerned in this regard, Minister Premajayantha said.

Speaking on the increase of the teachers recruited by the present Government, the minister said that the number of school teachers serving in Government schools has been increased to 2,14,000 from 1,87,000 earlier.

Minister Premajayantha said that another batch of 725 graduate teachers will be given appointment letters within the next two weeks.

Minister also urged the school teachers to be satisfied with the salaries, remunerations and perks provided by the Government at this juncture in view of the constraints imposed by international economical slowdown and other factors.

He also said that the appointing of teachers to the state sector is done in a transparent manner and the process is not based on political affiliation or loyalties, adding that he is ready to respond to any quarries which fall under the duties and responsibilities of his Ministry.

Speaking further Minister said that expedite measures have been taken to improve the IT knowledge of school children and in this regard classes from ‘year’ one to five will be provided with laptop computes.

“A ‘Peace Education’ programme for the first time has been introduced in the school curricular with the objective of mingling children of North with the children in the south.

An attempt by an organization named Tamil Students Association, operating from Durham Collage (University of Oshawa), notorious for direct links with the banned terrorist movement, LTTE, to glorify suicide bombers, was foiled after vigilant Sri Lankans living in Canada took prompt steps to notify the relevant authorities.

“This student organization is under the direct influence of top LTTE terrorists in Canada. They have misled the College authorities that the scheduled event was a cultural show”, defence authorities here said, citing sources.
The main objective of the event was to celebrate suicide bombers of the LTTE and Mano Ganshan, MP,had been slated to deliver the keynote address.

The MP’s trip to Canada had apparently been sponsored by the LTTE in order to give this fund-raising event a boost, sources said.

The Sri Lankan Consulate General in Toronto after been notified about the arrangements for holding the event had informed the Collage authorities of the clandestine motives of the organizers of the event.

A large number of Sri Lankans living in Canada, including a large number of Tamils, had sent emails to the college authorities requesting them to cancel the event, prompting them to stop it.

The Sri Lanka Government categorically rejects the assertion made by Amnesty International (AI) in its latest report that it is carrying out a policy of blocking humanitarian aid needed for the people at present displaced in the Wanni region, states a spokesman for the Presidential Secretariat.

It is correct that a large proportion of the civilian population of the Wanni region who live in locations still controlled by the terrorists of the LTTE are undergoing considerable hardship and suffering due to the rigid policies of the LTTE of preventing the free movement of civilians and making use of them as human shields against the advancing forces of humanitarian liberation of the Sri Lanka Government.

The Government is fully aware of the numbers of persons who need assistance and it is satisfied that the maximum assistance is being provided to these people, under the prevailing conditions, especially the difficulties caused by the intransigence and brutality of the LTTE, with regard to the very people it claims to represent and allegedly liberate.

Under the prevailing situation the Government sees no need for any international monitors to assess the needs of the affected Sri Lankan citizens or to carry out the effective distribution of relief already being done through the International Committee of the Red Cross, other identified relief agencies and the government machinery.

It is necessary to mention that there has been considerable credible evidence of non-government agencies that were engaged in relief work in the Wanni region, having provided both financial and material assistance to the LTTE, for the pursuit of its separatist goals against the sovereign state of Sri Lanka, through terrorism.

A more detailed response to the claims and allegations made by AI will follow the Presidential Secretariat states.

Background

This web site publishes without comment the following excerpt of the Background to the conflict in Sri Lanka as stated by AI.

“The security situation for civilians including displaced people has worsened since May when conflict intensified in Wanni.

The LTTE has blocked freedom of movement for the displaced in the Wanni. The LTTE appears to have no capacity to provide safety, or food or shelter and yet prevent families from moving to safer areas.

The LTTE has a history of silencing dissent in Wanni and treating conscientious objectors badly. Recent reports highlight a large camp at Moonru-Murippu in which, following its takeover by government forces, it was revealed that conscripted people who refused to fight were locked into metal cages, with pointed wires extending inside. The pointed wires ensured that they had to stand in a bent position and were pricked if they tried to move. They were let out only when they agreed to the LTTE’s demands.”

Courtesy: Presidential Media Unit