Akashi to be briefed about Amparai Tamils' plight

[TamilNet, Friday, 12 September 2003, 14:18 GMT]
The Japanese special peace envoy, Mr.Yasushi Akashi, is scheduled to visit Amparai Saturday and would hold a discussion with Tamil and Muslim leaders of the district to assess the present political situation in the eastern district, sources said.

An eight member delegation led by Amparai district Tamil National Alliance parliamentarian Mr. Chandra Nehru will meet Mr. Akashi at the Kalmunai Methodist Church hall Saturday morning, and would brief him about the difficulties now confronting Amparai Tamils in political and social spheres, sources said.

The delegation would hand over a memorandum to Mr. Akashi regarding the development of the district, parliamentarian Mr. Nehru said.

Meanwhile, the Japanese special peace envoy Friday morning inaugurated a discussion at the Colombo Hilton Hotel, aimed at finding ways and means for properly utilizing the funds pledged at the Tokyo aid conference for the development of the country, sources said.

Representatives of seven international aid organizations, including the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, International Monetary Fund, and of thirteen donor countries attended the discussion, sources said.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam declined to attend the discussion though invited by the Japanese government, citing the lack an interim administrative structure to administer the rehabilitation and resettlement in the Northeast.

Ministers of the United National Front government Messrs G.L.Peiris, Milinda Morogoda and Mr.Rauff Hakeem also participated in the discussion.

The Sri Lankan government has already received a portion of the 4.5 billion US dollars pledged at the Tokyo aid conference, finance ministry sources said.