Australia increases support for demining in Sri Lanka

03 Apr, 2019

Australia is to increase support for humanitarian demining efforts in Sri Lanka, the Australian High Commission in Colombo said today.

Australia will provide AUD 1 million (more than 124 million LKR) in assistance over the next two years through a partnership with the Mine Action Group (MAG) and Sri Lankan organisation Devlon Assistance for Social Harmony (DASH).

This increased funding will provide vital additional mine clearance capacity in Mannar and Vavuniya, two critical mine-affected provinces. It will allow many families to return to their land, re-establish their lives and enhance income-earning opportunities.

Australia has been one of the largest contributors to demining in Sri Lanka, contributing AUD 20 million (around LKR 2 billion) since 2009. (Colombo Gazette)

Recommended For You

Sampanthan says India achieved a lot under late PM Vajpayee

Opposition and Tamil National Alliance (TNA) leader R Sampanthan says India achieved a lot under?Atal Bihari Vajpayee who passed away yesterday (Thursday). Sampanthan said that?India has lost one of its most regarded Intellectual and statesmen Atal Bihari Vajpayee. He said the former Prime Minister of India and the Bharatiya Janatha Party (BJP) was an outstanding leader and under his visionary leadership, India achieved many milestones in its history. “He served the great country of India wit

17 Aug, 2018

China says work on southern railway line extension is progressing

China on Thursday said that construction of a major railway line in the south was proceeding on schedule. Construction of the railway line linking Matara and Beliatta is being carried out by China Railway No 5 with China National Machinery Import & Export Corporation. Officials on Thursday said that 26km of the project has been completed. The project includes a 1km long bridge, which will be the longest rail bridge in Sri Lanka. The railroad includes easy gradients, devoid of sharp curves for

16 Aug, 2018

New UN rights chief urged to ensure accountability in Sri Lanka

The Global Tamil Forum (GTF) has called on the new?UN High Commissioner for Human Rights?Michelle Bachelet to ensure accountability in Sri Lanka. The GTF congratulated Bachelet on her appointment as the seventh UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. “In Sri Lanka, the UN system failed miserably in 2009 in preventing the deaths of tens of thousands, mostly Tamil citizens in the hands of the country?s security forces. However, the initiatives taken by the leading UN officials to address this fai

18 Aug, 2018

Colombo Gazette is a leading news and entertainment website, covering stories related to Sri Lanka. The content consists of text based news, photos and videos and is linked to social media websites including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, to provide a wider coverage for its stories.