Stephen Harper, the violator of human rights of Canada’s First People to boycotts CHOGM in Sri Lanka.
Posted on October 9th, 2013

By Charles.S.Perera

‚ Among‚  all the Members of the Commonwealth of Nations,‚  the Prime Minister of Canada Stephen Harper is the worst violator of the Human Rights of ‚ his people.‚  He is neglecting the rights of the diminishing population of‚  Canadian First People the original people of Canada confined to their reserves under a most inhuman law ‚ of 1857.‚  Much has been written on the Canadian indifference to the suffering of this group of its own people whose land was invaded by the ancestors of Stephen Harper.

‚ Stephen Harper has therefore no lesson to give Sri Lanka which treats all its Communities equally.‚ 

It is only the ungrateful‚  Tamils lead by ambitious Tamil politicians and the Tamil Intelligentsia who want for their 13 percent of the population a special place over and above the rest of the Communities , and a part of the land carved out for them, that spread stories of violation of human rights, rape of their women, and white van kidnapping.‚  Every death of a Tamil man or woman in the North of Sri Lanka is automatically taken to accuse the Sri Lanka Army‚ ‚  for possible implication in those deaths. ‚ 

Further more what is nauseating about Stephen Harper-â„¢s constant harping of boycotting CHOGM in Sri Lanka is , that he has no first hand information of what is going on in Sri Lanka and every bit of information on which he places Sri Lanka on the dock of accusation for violation of human rights , is dependent on what he‚  hears from the increasing population of his Tamil Canadian Vote bank, which has taken over the rightful place of the Canadian First People.‚ 

That is Stephen Harper-â„¢s way of‚  pampering the‚  Canadian Tamils for personal political benefits, neglecting the rights of the original people of Canada, which in reality is more important than his political ambition-that being a human problem.

The Commonwealth of Nations stands for democracy, which it promoted during the period of Colonialization of various Nations.‚  Democracy, without going into greater detail has many principles which every worthy democrat should follow.‚  Apart from democracy coming from the sovereignty of the people, it is where decisions are taken from the principle of majority rule over the minority.‚ 

Democracy also demands toleration and compromise. If a country or a leader acts without respect to those principles he becomes an intolerant Dictator.‚  This is what Stephen Harper has become, dictating terms to other members of the Commonwealth of Nations, because he lacks respect to the democratic principles of toleration and compromise, and refuses to ‚ accepts the majority rule over the minority.‚  The undemocratic Stephen Harper‚  expects the ‚ majority of the Commonwealth of Nations to follow‚  Stephen Harper-â„¢s minority voice of Canada.

Stephen Harper who had not stepped any where near‚  Sri Lanka, says, “In the past two years we have not only seen no improvement in these areas, in almost all of these areas we’ve seen a considerable rolling back, a considerable worsening of the situation,”.‚ ‚  Stephen Harper is surely suffering from an‚  inappropriate, undemocratic verbal diarrhoea , with a high fever to keep the Tamil vote bank on his side to assure his parties re-election.

Stephen Harper has not stopped at a call for the boycott of the CHOGM in Sri Lanka but has warned the Commonwealth,‚  that, –¦.. we will examine our engagement and our financing of the Commonwealth, which is quite considerable, to make sure that we are wisely using taxpayer dollars and reflecting Canadian values. -¦But this is a decision the Commonwealth has made and the Commonwealth will have to live with it.”

More intelligent and democratic Paul Dewar, the NDP foreign affairs critic, had said , –¦..It’s a false and disingenuous connection between the merits of an individual member state and those of the broader institution,”

The British Prime Minister David Cameron had on the other hand issued a more understandable democratic statement, -We do not think that turning away from the problem is the best way to make progress in Sri Lanka. There-â„¢s nothing to suggest that not going will convince [President] Rajapaksa he must do more.-‚ 

Cameron had said, that he will attend carrying with him a ‚ tough messages for Sri Lanka-â„¢s leadership when he visits the country for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in November.

That is how it should be.‚  A democracy should have a strong opposition that is another principle going along with the rule of the majority over the minority.

Canada with its Prime Minister Stephen Harper is giving‚  to the world‚  the ‚ wrong interpretation‚  of Democracy. If he is intelligent, ‚ and a democrat in the real sense of the word, he should‚  attend the CHOGM in Sri Lanka, face the political leaders of Sri Lank and deliver his message of non acceptance of Sri Lanka-â„¢s human rights record.

Instead of that he defies the whole of the Commonwealth of Nations with a very low and mean threat of reviewing ‚ Canada-â„¢s Commonwealth Funding package which is‚  not in keeping‚  with the Democratic Norms‚  he‚  is expected to uphold.

Stephen Harper who talks of violations of human rights‚  is no better than some of his other colleagues who joined hands with America to get the NATO to bombard Libya, Iraq,‚  and Afghanistan.‚  The violations of human rights in these parts of the world are swept under the carpet of diplomacy, highlighting only those areas that would bring in some personal and political benefits to the Western -Democrats.-

Sri Lanka waged a just war against terrorism, and‚  Canada and the West do not allow Sri Lanka to forget that past and go on with the development of the nation shattered after 30 years of that ruthless terror.

The Tamil Diaspora and the ambitious Tamil politicians keep alive the memory of terrorism to dupe the Western countries such as Canada , America et al, to enable them to carve out a separate Tamil Eelam State‚  in Sri Lanka-for a mere 13 percent of the entire population of Sri Lanka.

Stephen Harper should stand outside his personal political ambition and look at the situation in Sri Lanka objectively to see that the reality is different from what ‚ his informants have painted for him.‚  In order to have that objective perception of real Sri Lanka, he should come to Sri Lanka without talking nonsense‚  to please his Tamil voters.

Sri Lanka will not certainly miss Stephen Harper ‚ if he does not attend the CHOGM. In which case we, however, ‚ ask him ‚ as a people who suffered under colonialism for nearly 500 years, and 30 years under terrorism, to stop further violation of the human rights of the‚  First People of Canada, who were there long before the Tamil Community and even before the White Community now in control of it.

Stephen Harper, ‚ those original people of Canada has a right to be looked after better, giving them a rightful place in the Canadian Society and a place in its Government.‚  Their living conditions should be ameliorated and the Canadian government should have separate budgetary allocations to provide them with houses, pipe water, education, health and sanitary facilities.‚ 

It is only after that Canada and its Prime Minister Stephen Harper will have the right to stand up in world forums to condemn other countries like Sri Lanka for violation of human rights.

‚ 

15 Responses to “Stephen Harper, the violator of human rights of Canada’s First People to boycotts CHOGM in Sri Lanka.”

  1. Susantha Wijesinghe Says:

    Harper has to be servile, to appease his Tamil Terrorist Diaspora for their votes. Nevertheless, he gets two pay cheques, one from the Government, and the other, you know from whom. Shame Harper, Shame.

  2. Sirih Says:

    Now, everyone knows where all the ltte money went… Whole of North American political systems are compromised using agents of influence… Now its gone beyond decency and politicians are bought using terror money..

    Some one in the SL govt. need to tell this loud.

  3. AnuD Says:

    Dig his history. At one point, he was the chairman of the KKK, I don’t know which branch it was.

  4. Sooriarachi Says:

    It is reported that Canadian activists and security forces are targeting women and girls of the First Nation to torture, rape and murder, whilst the Canadian Govt looks the other way. Harming the women, could be a well planned strategy to reduce the growth of this indigenous population. It is time Canada learned from New Zealand and Australia and commence restoring human rights to their First Nation, denied to them to date.
    Having ‘skeletons like this in their cupboard’, could be a reason for Canada to boycott the summit, as they wont be in a position to raise trumped up issues against Sri Lanka to satisfy the Tamil separatists, without getting exposed of their own human rights violations. Smart decision Mr Stephen Harper, you have taken your Tamil separatists down the garden path, and avoided an embarrassing situation, had you attended CHOGM. Instead keep yelling from the side lines to please them.

  5. Fran Diaz Says:

    Mr Harper, by avoiding the CHOGM meeting, has drawn enormous attention to his government and Canadian Human Rights. This is an unwise move by Mr Harper.

    Canada and Sri Lanka were good friends till the Canadian Tamil Diaspora spoilt it all.

    Here is the sequence of events :

    * British Colonialism of Lanka > Brings in over a Million Tamils from Tamil Nadu as Indentured Labor, adding to the existing Indentured labor brought in by the Dutch, about half a Million Tamils from TN.

    * Tamils start Caste Wars in the North after Sri Lanka Independence from Britain, 1948. Even prior to that there were rumblings of Tamil Separatism, as early as 1930’s.

    * To hide Caste Wars, Tamil Leaders of the North demand 50-50, Federalism, culminating in Separate state, Eelam. Tamil Separatism is transferred from Tamil Nadu separatism from the Indian Union, dropped due to Nehru govt. law banning Separatism. The Vaddukoddai Resolution (Eelam through violence, 1976), brings in 30 yrs Terrorism via the ltte and Prabhakaran. Tamil Separatism rides on the back of the Cold War, bringing in western interests.

    * Trumped up 1983 Riots (Colombo Tamils vs the other Tamils) enabling a Tamil EXODUS to the west, mainly to CANADA.
    Canada has the largest contingent of Tamil economic “refugees”.

    * Mr Harper falls into Tamil Traps and avoids CHOGM, bringing world to focus HR issues/lapses of Canada.

    * To Mr David Cameron (UK) we say : Dear Mr Cameron, If your forefathers did not bring in some MILLION poor, low caste Tamils into Lanka and also allow similar thousands to come in as illegal migrants from Tamil Nadu, Sri Lanka would not be in this plight today.
    Mr Cameron, you yourself said that : “most of the troubles in the world today are due to Britain”. We respect you for telling the truth. Now do please act on it and accept the situation and help us solve the problems, and not create fresh ones to “divide and rule”. Please remember you re coming into a country of educated people.

  6. Mr. Bernard Wijeyasingha Says:

    Canada would not have taken this stand if not for the Sri Lankan Tamil Lobby, that much is quite clear. But Canada also faces vivisection since the issue of her French speaking province of Quebec has never been solved. I wonder what Ottawa would do if they faced a full fledged demand for secession by the province of Quebec if realized would split Canada into two pieces.

    Maybe the SIS should give support and aid to the separatists of Canada.

  7. Charles Says:

    We should also investigate into Tamil Diaspora and their involvement in the call for the creation of a separate Eelam, and possibility of taking legal action against people like Fr.Emmanuel of the Global Tamil Forum and Rudrakumaran of the Provisional Transnational Government of Tamils, and also the Local NGOs like Jehan Perera, Pakiasothy Sarvanamuttu, Nimalka Fernando and the rest.

  8. Fran Diaz Says:

    Charles,

    We agree. Only legal action will stop the Eelam demand and the various games that accompany it.

  9. Ananda-USA Says:

    TNA in Disarray unable to Divide Up the Eelam Pie!

    How long will it take for ONE of the Constituent Parties to follow in the LTTE’s wake and dominate and terrorize the others? Mini-dictators made in the image of the SuryaDeva will fight to the death!

    Who are the Mahattayas …. destined to die trussed up like a turkey, hung from a tree in a gunny bag, and beaten to death …. and who are the Prabhakarans … doing the beating?

    We are taking bets, folks! How Long?

    …………………..
    Inauspicious start at Sri Lanka’s Northern PC with boycott of swear-in ceremony

    ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

    Oct 11, Colombo: Sri Lanka’s first elected Northern Provincial Council got off to an inauspicious start with several members of the council boycotting the swear-in ceremony of the ministers held today.

    Four councilors-elect of the major Tamil party, Tamil National Alliance (TNA), which claimed a landslide victory at the elections held last month to the Council, took oaths before the Chief Minister of the Northern Province C.V. Vigneswaran today at the Weerasingham Hall in Jaffna.

    Former Director of Education in Kilinochchi, T. Kurukularajah of Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK) was sworn-in as the Minister of Education and Cultural Affairs while Dr. P. Sathyalingam of ITAK took oaths as the Minister of Health.

    P. Aingaranesan of EPRLF took oaths as the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Water Supply and Environment while lawyer P. Deniswaran of TELO is the Minister of Fisheries, Transport and Rural Development.

    However, eight members of the Council from EPRLF, PLOTE, TULF and TELO member M. K. Sivajilingam who was slated to get a ministerial post boycotted the ceremony protesting that the ITAK has taken an authoritarian role within the Tamil alliance.

    Only Aingaranesan from the EPRLF attended the swearing in ceremony while five other council members of EPRLF did not participate. The council members from PLOTE and the TULF also boycotted the event.

    Local media reports said only 20 out of the 30 council members elected from TNA attended the ceremony.

    The cracks between the ITAK and the other coalition partners in the Tamil Alliance began to appear when the TNA leader R. Sampanthan agreed for the Chief Minister-elect Vigneswaran to take oaths before the President in Colombo.

    Leaders of the TNA coalition partners expressed their displeasure over the decision arrived at a meeting between the TNA leader and the President to have Vigneswaran taking oaths before the President. They expressed disapproval that Sampanthan along with MP M. A. Sumanthiran and the Chief Minister-elect had taken a unanimous decision without consulting the party leaders.

    The rift among the constituent parties widened during the discussions to select the provincial ministers to the 38-member Council.

    The appointment of ministers to the Council was delayed due to disagreements arose among the constituent parties of the TNA over the assignment of ministerial portfolios.

    TNA Vanni District parliamentarian Selvam Adaikalanathan threatened to resign from the leadership of TELO since the TNA had decided to give Sivajilingam, who is from the Jaffna district, a portfolio despite his campaign for TNA in Vanni District.

    However, Sivajilingam who did not get a ministerial portfolio boycotted today’s event while Adaikalanathan attended.

    After the TNA finalized the ministerial portfolios yesterday the TNA Spokesman MP Suresh Premachandran at a press conference in Jaffna accused the ITAK of assuming an authoritarian role within the alliance. He objected to the appointments saying that the ITAK assigned the folios without consulting other parties.

    The TNA, an alliance of five Tamil parties – Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK), Eelam People’s Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF), People’s Liberation Organization of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE), Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization (TELO) and Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF), contests the polls under ITAK since it is not a registered political party.

  10. Ananda-USA Says:

    NDP, Liberal critics claim PM’s boycott of Commonwealth summit in Sri Lanka politically motivated by Canadian electoral strategy

    By TIM NAUMETZ
    HillTimes.com
    October 9, 2013

    Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s high-profile decision to boycott a summit of Commonwealth leaders in Sri Lanka next month is based on a ‘political calculus’ to woo support from thousands of Tamil voters in Toronto rather than a conversion over the past two years to sympathy for Sri Lankan Tamils whom the government ignored prior to the last federal election in 2011, opposition MPs claim.

    …..More….

  11. Ananda-USA Says:

    Provinces have Flags of their own? They do not fly the National Sinha Kodiya?

    When will the Northern Province Flag metamorphose into the Snarling Tiger flag of the LTTE?

    Also, the Eelamists flew the Indian Flag at this meeting …. seeking cover from India as an Indian Protectorate already …. while they prepare the Unilateral Declaration of Independence!

    And to our eternal SHAME …. there was no Lion Flag flying in sight … none whatever!! What does all of this mean my dear Mr. President? Any guesses?

    ……………………………..
    Sri Lanka Buddhist party blames Tamil National Alliance for its Indian partisan policy

    ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

    Oct 10, Colombo: Sri Lanka’s Sinhala Buddhist political party Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) accused India of attempting to create dual power in Sri Lanka through its diplomatic manipulations.

    Issuing a statement, the JHU said that this is a serious situation. They criticized the Indian Foreign Minister meeting the newly elected Chief Minister of the Northern Provincial Council.

    The party said the Indian Minister of External Affairs had invited the Northern Provincial Council Chief Minister to tour in India.

    JHU accused that the Chief Minister C.V. Vigneswaran had displayed the Indian flag at this discussion and reminded that the island nation was not a state of India.

    The communique also accused that the Chief Minister had hoisted the Northern Province flag and the Indian flag at the ceremony of assuming duty ignoring the national flag of Sri Lanka.

  12. jayasiri Says:

    Very thankful to Mr. Charles Perera for this outstanding article. Others too contributed well, and as stated By Fran Diaz and Ananada-USA, we all should get involved in bringing up the truth.

    Canada’s continued violation of human rights, treatiing their own First nation peoples so shabily, and preaches HOW OTHER countries like Sri Lanka & Maldives should manange their INTERNAL AFFAIRS.

    It is certain India is continuing the Colonzation of Sri Lanka, because our leadership in Lanka are not at all concerned about what the ordinary people in Lanka, needs & wants. THEY want SL Govt. never to allow anymore INDIAN intrution & grabbing all valuable areas in Colombo & other major cities in Lanka.

    By importing UNEDUCATED Indians & their population ONE DAY will out number the local Sri Lankans, if we allow our Govts, to IMPORT CHEAP LABOUR & goods to Sri Lanka.

    Already INDIA has too much influence, thanks to China we have some sense of fairplay. BUT it is very limited as for any PROJECT or major deceision are to be decided, INDIA flexes its muscle. NOW see the way they HOOKED our President in such a way, STILL PM of India never wants to commit to attendance at the CHOGM.

    Always wait till the last moment & do or say something drastic like the time India voted TWICE against Sri Lanka, at UNHRC. Is it a very convenient way of making Lanka, subjugate to India’s hegomany?.. TN is a just an excuse, & during the war, India STIPULATED that the war should be concluded BEFORE INDIAN GENERAL ELECTIONS. Our leaders just followed orders.

    I SAY enough is enough, time to address INDIAN & TAMIL problem at the same time. If Tamils feel more comfortable following Indian leaders, THEY SHOULD SETTLE in Tamil Nadu, never to set foot in OUR MOTHERLAND.

    I am pleased that so many reponded to this aricle of Mr. Charles Perera……ONE NATION<UNDER ONE LEADER, under ONE FLAG, UNITED & FREE……..GOD BLESS OUR MOTHERLAND…….~J

  13. Lorenzo Says:

    Ananda,

    “NDP, Liberal critics claim PM’s boycott of Commonwealth summit in Sri Lanka politically motivated by Canadian electoral strategy”

    Not 100% true.

    That is only PART of it.

    Will NDP placate to SHARIA LAW to get Muslim votes? NO!!

    The REAL reasons are “helping” Tamil racism in SL fits PERFECTLY with west’s GEOPOLITICAL STRATEGY (and it helps win RACIST Tamil voters too).

    No matter how many times we explained the truth to these Canadian politicians, they always pretend they have not learnt.

    USA-Canada- Mexico-EU-Endia want to DIVIDE SL. That is the MAIN reason. Getting Tamil support in doing so is a BY-PRODUCT they like to have.

  14. Lorenzo Says:

    “Chief Minister C.V. Vigneswaran had displayed the Indian flag at this discussion and reminded that the island nation was not a state of India”

    LOL!!

    Is it surprising?

    NO.

    Balance the 2 evils. These RACIST Tamils in SL is MORE dangerous than they living in Canada. SEND THEM OUT OF SL. Don’t keep these in SL and FOOL AROUND complaining. RACIST Tamils damage SL 365 days a year every year. In Canada they only do some damage only during election time and CHOGM time (once in every 50 years).

  15. Ananda-USA Says:

    What the Hell … more SOUL HUNTERS descending on Sri Lanka?

    John Keels … the largest business conglomerate in Sri Lanka is jumping into bed with the World Vision … a NOTORIOUS Christian Evangelical Missionary movement dedicated to EXPLOITING vulnerable people to BUY their SOULS, and CONVERT them to Christianity … to “assist” people of the Northern Province!!!

    What is the GOSL doing leaving the DOORS OPEN for these snakes to increase the communal strife in Sri Lanka and undermining the Buddhist Majority?

    Religious TOLERANCE does not equate to INVITING foreign missionaries to INTERFERENCE in the religious demographics of Sri Lanka. We have plenty of our own religious leaders to tend to our own people … we don’t need FOREIGN MISSIONARIRES invading Sri Lanka to further stir the COMMUNAL POT!

    The GOSL should adopt the following National Policy: No Evangelical Missionaries of ANY RELIGION, or Funding to promote their Agendas under whatever humanitarian or religious pretext, will be allowed into Sri Lanka.

    Do your own in depth research to discover for yourself their ultimate goal of religious conversion of poor and needy people to offset the increasing drift of people away from their religion in thie rown countries. The heads of poor people in developing countries can be purchased for far less money than their own well-to-do people. For those who don’t know about World Vision, and their global missionary head hunting agenda sugar coated as humanitarian assistance, here is an admiring summary culled from Wikipedia.org, so you should read between the lines, and do your own research, to discover the truth.

    ………………………..
    World Vision … a Capsule Introduction

    World Vision International is an Evangelical Christian Humanitarian aid, development, and advocacy organisation dedicated to working with children, families and communities to overcome poverty and injustice. Inspired by Christian values, they are dedicated to working with the world’s most vulnerable people, and serve all people regardless of religion, race, ethnicity or gender.[5]

    Since Robert Pierce founded World Vision in 1950,[3] it has grown into one of the largest relief and development organizations in the world[6] with a total revenue including grants, product and foreign donations of $2.79 billion (2011).[7]

    ……………….

    In A Declaration of Internationalization (1978) World Vision declares a Statement of Faith[22] that corresponds to the Statement of Faith[23] put forward by the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) as standard for their evangelical convictions as the theological frame in which the organization as a whole has to operate.[24][25] World Vision aims to incorporate this Christian belief into their development work as well as their organization. Vice President of Advocacy and Government Relations at World Vision Canada Linda Tripp wrote, “In Christ, we have a role model who healed the sick, fed the hungry, clothed the naked, and comforted the outcast, and whose message was about restoring relationships and reconciliation.” This directly relates to World Visions mission to provide emergency relief, development, promote justice, and spread awareness to countries in need. World Vision staff is not affiliated with one specific church; their staff makes up all branches of Protestantism and Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches. Staff participates in daily and weekly services. They stress that you can be a Christian in any culture. However, World Vision also respects other religions that they encounter stating that “to promote a secular approach to life would be an insult to them”.[26] Richard Stearns, president of World Vision US, stated that World Vision has a strict policy against proselytizing which he describes as “… – using any kind of coercion or inducement to listen to a religious message before helping someone”.[27] The World Vision Partnership and all its national members are committed to the concept of transformational development,[28] which is cast in a biblical framework and in which evangelization is an inseparable integral part of development work.[29]

    ………………

    World Vision India has been accused of spending money on Christian evangelism in India.[51] The political weekly Tehelka has cited World Vision India’s involvement with AD2000 as proof of proselytizing.[52] World Vision’s Indian leader Radhakanta Nayak was also accused by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh of being involved in the murder of Swami Lakshmanananda.[53][54] World Vision India condemned the murder and denied any involvement, pointing out its anti-proselytizing policy.[55]

    ………………………………….

    John Keells – World Vision collaborate in developing Mullaitivu

    Island.lk
    October 11, 2013, 9:04 pm

    Representatives of John Keells Foundation and World Vision Lanka together with Government Agent Mullativu, security forces personnel and community leaders of Iranaipalai and Puthumathalan, Mullaitivu District.

    John Keells Foundation and World Vision Lanka recently launched a collaboration to uplift and rehabilitate the livelihoods of communities in Northern Sri Lanka. Through this collaboration, several development interventions such as livelihoods assistance programmes including enhancement of women entrepreneurship opportunities, infrastructure and skills development for the benefit of school children and youth and provision of water and sanitation facilities for schools and communities will be implemented in selected villages within the Mullaitivu district.

    John Keells Foundation (JKF) is the Corporate Social Responsibility entity of the John Keells Group. One of its focus areas is community and livelihood development under which the Village Adoption Project is a key initiative aimed at poverty alleviation at village level through a sustainable and integrated development programme planned and implemented in partnership with relevant stakeholders. The villages previously undertaken under the Village Adoption Project are Halmillewa in the Anuradhapura District and Mangalagama in the Ampara District.

    World Vision Lanka (WVL) has been operational in Northern Sri Lanka for many years and has been assisting returning communities to start life over, providing them with livelihood support, nutrition feeding programmes for preschool children, assistance in education sector, psychosocial support through its mental health project and disaster risk reduction programmes.

    The collaboration provides both organizations an opportunity to work together to improve the lives of communities in the war affected North through sustainable development programmes.

    Two villages in the Mullaitivu district – Iranaipalai in Puthukudiyiruppu DS and Puthumathalan in Maritimepattu DS – were selected after a lengthy assessment and clearance process.

    Under the first phase of the project, selected members of fisher societies were provided with fish nets and tools while members of Women’s Rural Development Societies were assisted to start a savings scheme and provided with bicycles. To mark the completion of these activities, a handover ceremony was held in Iranaipalai with the participation of Mr. N Vethanayagam, Government Agent of Mullaitivu, Divisional Secretaries, Security Forces representatives, religious leaders and school principals as well as representatives of the village communities.

    Speaking on the occasion, N Vethanayagam, Government Agent of Mullaitivu, said “Iranaipalai was one of the conflict zones that was severely damaged during the last phase of the war. Almost all infrastructure and facilities were badly affected. Given that this is one of the most needy areas where the livelihood of families depend largely on fishing, I am very glad that John Keells has come forward to assist these people to restore their source of income.”

    Speaking on behalf of John Keells Foundation Ms. Carmeline Jayasuriya, Head of Operations, CSR said that John Keells was very pleased to partner development in an area long affected by the conflict. “We have been able to engage with the relevant stakeholders in planning preliminary development activities in the two villages, thanks to the collaborative support of WVL, Government officials, security forces and community based organizations. We look forward to working closely with all stakeholders in planning and implementing future activities”, she said.

    Meanwhile, infrastructure development undertaken under the first phase includes construction of permanent double unit toilets for the two schools in the selected villages (Mu/Iranaipalai R.C.M.V., Mullaitivu and Mu/Mathalan R.C.G.T., Mullaitivu) and the cleaning and renovation of community wells in Puthumathalan. This work too has been completed and handed over to the respective beneficiaries. More development work being planned under the second phase of the project.

    The project envisages a larger collaboration between the two organizations with JKF funding and implementing initiatives which have been identified through needs assessments and stakeholder engagement and WVL providing ground support, particularly in relation to assessment, implementation and monitoring aspects.

    Commenting on the collaboration, WVL National Director Suresh Bartlett said, “This is an important collaboration as we intentionally look to partner with corporates in development. We believe the synergies that this creates will help us maximize opportunities and bring about greater innovation in delivering sustainable development outcomes for the people of Sri Lanka.”

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