High Commission of Sri Lanka in India

Minister Peiris explained that publication of this report, which is not an official U.N. document, will inflict great damage on the reconciliation process in Sri Lanka, especially at a time when the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission of Sri Lanka is continuing with its work and has not yet submitted its report.

Prof. Peiris also informed Oman’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, of the reasons why any action based on the panel report, which was described as being entirely advisory, is demonstrably contrary to principle, and therefore unacceptable.

Foreign Minister Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah, responding to his Sri Lankan counterpart, expressed the view that it is inappropriate to embark on any course of action which would have the effect of impeding the healing of wounds and the forging of a national consciousness of unity and solidarity, soon after Sri Lanka had emerged from a painful conflict.　 He said that it is important to await the report of the local mechanism which Sri Lanka had set up, and consider the report objectively.　 He told Minister Peiris that the Sultanate of Oman would request the U.N Secretariat not to proceed to publication of the panel report at this time.

The Foreign Minister of Oman agreed that this had resulted in considerable benefits not only for Sri Lanka but for peace and stability in the region, as a whole.

Prof. Peiris requested Minister Alawi bin Abdullah to bring Sri Lanka’s views to the attention of the other countries comprising the　Gulf Co-operation Council.

Embassy of Sri Lanka
Muscat
24 April 2011

From ancient days the great cultural festival of the Sinhala and Tamil New Year has brought satisfaction and joy to the vast majority of our people. It is a festival that pays homage to the Sun for the strength given to the land and people and is also the annual harvest festival that echoes the achievements of the rural people.

We celebrate this New Year at a time when production is progressing rapidly in agriculture and all other areas of development. It is also a time when all enjoy the freedom achieved in our motherland. Therefore, this New Year will help bring a renewal in spirit and new expectations to the people about future progress.

The New Year traditions coming down through centuries add to the joy of celebration. We can give this joy to future generations by making our children aware of its importance in our way of life.

We must create every opportunity for our children who cherish the New Year festivities to join in observing the many rituals and traditions that are associated with it. Therefore, to ensure the safety and joy of our children in celebrating this event, I appeal to you all to keep away from all intoxicants during this festive season. I trust this will contribute to bringing its joy closer the children and women of our country.

I extend my deep gratitude to the members of the Armed Forces, Police and Civil Defence Corps, as well as all employees of the State and Private Sector who have made a commitment to be at their posts during the festive season.

I wish you all a Happy and Prosperous New Year!

By R.K. Radhakrishnan

Smiling faces, all-religion blessings, hordes of cheering fans and representatives form the Sri Lankan government welcomed its cricketers warmly, as they arrived here on Sunday morning at the Bandaranaike international airport in Colombo.

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa set the tone for the celebrations, congratulating his team on its performance as the nation shrugged off the defeat to a better team the night before in Mumbai.

“Sri Lanka can be proud of its cricketers led by its captain Kumar Sangakkara. The whole of Sri Lanka was with the team. The performance of the team augurs well for the future,” the President told the team.

On his part, Sangakkara, who was selected captain of the ICC world team following the World Cup, mentioned that he and his team were grateful to the President for all the support, encouragement and guidance that he had given the team. The fireworks remained in their wrappers in all of Sri Lanka after the country's defeat in the ICC world cup cricket final but the rest of the planned celebrations went on. There was an elaborate ceremony at the VIP lounge at the airport where religious leaders blessed the team after which the team interacted with officials and others. The cricketers looked tired but were smiling and willing to oblige autograph and interview seekers from the media.

The team then left to the major celebrations venue, the Independence Square in the city, where hundreds of people had gathered to watch the match on big screen on a hot Sunday.

The colossal sums of monies that nations spend on conflicts and wars must be diverted towards development, research and technology to reduce poverty and suffering. Sri Lanka’s humanitarian initiatives have enabled the government, not just to end conflicts but to divert resources earlier spent on conflicts, now towards welfare and development, said President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

"Public expenditure on rural centric initiatives and on farmers, on children and similar expenditures on the provision of water, sanitation and clean environment are more productive and beneficial to the welfare of the citizens. Therefore, at a ministerial conference such as this, our determination should be to appeal to the world to divert their defense expenditure to development" President said delivering the inaugural address at the Ministerial Summit of the South Asian Conference on Sanitation (SACOSAN IV) on 6 April 2011 in Colombo.

President said: "Sri Lanka already has a commitment to provide universal access to water and good sanitation by the year 2020. We are confident of achieving this, as we have already achieved the Millennium Development Goals in a key area such as the lowest maternal mortality rate in South and South East Asia".

We are well on the way to achieving the MDGs in universal primary education, gender parity in primary education, and maternal and child health. Our country is on course to achieve the MDG target for declining poverty by 2015. Sanitation and related good hygiene plays a significant role in all of this, President Rajapaksa added.