U.S funds training of Sri Lanka Police

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 28 September 2004, 20:04 GMT]
US Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Jeffrey.J.Lunstead, and Srilankan Inspector General of police Indra De Silva signed an agreement today at the US Embassy initiating a two year program administered by the U.S Department of Justice where Sri Lanka Police will receive equipment and training worth $250,000, a US embassy press release issued today said.

Full text of the press release follows:

Several hundred policemen throughout Sri Lanka will soon benefit from new equipment and training offered by the United States under a program aimed to improve the performance of local community policemen. U.S. Ambassador Jeffrey J. Lunstead and Sri Lankan Inspector General of Police Indra De Silva signed a Memorandum of Agreement today at the U.S. Embassy outlining details of the program.

Valued at US$ 250,000, the program will run for two years and is administered by the U.S. Department of Justice under the International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program (ICITAP).

''We're proud to be able to offer this assistance to local Sri Lankan policemen as a tangible benefit of the peace process,'' said Ambassador Lunstead. ''Hopefully this program will lead to better public relations within the communities where they work,'' Lunstead added.