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| Sunday, 09 March 2003 |
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| News Business Features Editorial
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ADB Chief: Core issues still remain unsolved The head of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Tadao Chino expressed optimism about LTTE's lasting commitment to peace, but warned that the success of the donor conference in Japan would depend on how the international community perceived the level of commitment of both the government and the LTTE to the peace process. Addressing a media conference on the role of the Asian Development Bank on development activities in Sri Lanka Tadao Chino said that remarkable progress had already been made in the peace process since the signing of the ceasefire agreement between the LTTE and the government. DAW ########### New dates for A/L Exams Long holidays in April and May due to the Sinhala and Tamil New Year and Vesak celebrations have compelled the Department of Examinations to re-schedule the 2003 A/L examination and hold it in two stages. Initially the exam was scheduled to begin in the first week of April but under the new schedule of the first stage will be held from April 21 to May 3 and the second stage from May 19 to 30. A total of 251,646 candidates including 212,146 school candidates and 39,500 private candidates are expected to sit for the A/L examination this year. ########### A new Women's Charter A new Women's Charter will be enacted in Parliament shortly and steps will also be taken to increase the representation of women in politics by 25 per cent in the future. This was disclosed by the Minister of Women's Affairs Amara Piyaseeli Ratnayake at the International Women's Day National Celebrations held at the BMICH yesterday. This year's International Women's Day is commemorated with the theme "Let us ensure equal opportunities for women in all fields and all levels of employment". The existing women's charter, initiated in 1981, will be reviewed, and amendments will be incorporated to the new charter. ########### Film Fest in N and E A Sri Lankan film festival titled "Cine Yathra" - will be held for the first time in the North and East this month. The festival will be held at the Sri Krishna Cinema Hall, Trincomalee from March 12 to 16 and at the Jaffna University hall on March 26. Eight popular films directed by renowned artistes will be screened at the festival. These included "Nidhanaya" by Lester James Peries "Chanda Kinnari" by Asoka Handagama, "Purahanda Kaluwara" by Prasanna Vithanage, "Sagara Jalaya" by Sumithra Peries, "Mathuyam Davasa" by Dharmasena Pathiraja, "Ponmani" by Dharmasena Pathiraja, "Theertha Yathra" by Vasantha Obeysekera, "Bava Duka" and "Bava Karma" by Dharmasiri Bandaranayake. AG ########### Anti-war demo in Fort Hundreds of protestors from organised sections of society, voiced their opposition to US government's threatened military action against Iraq,at an anti-war demonstration opposite Fort railway station yesterday. Members of the Maha Sangha, Christian clergy, trade unions, representatives from NGOs, private organisations , Women's rights organisations, leaders of left-wing political parties, and scores of civic action movements, took part in the demonstrations which started around 3 p.m. Leader of New Left Front, Dr. Wickramabahu Karunaratne, leader of Democratic Left Front Vasudeva Nanayakkara, Ven. Baddegama Samitha Thera (MP), and Rev. Yohan Devananda of World Solidarity Forum were among the demonstrators. Dr. Karunaratne said in a short interview with the Sunday Observer that Sri Lanka will join the millions of people world-over who have protested the US war against Iraq with this demonstration. The demonstration was convened by head of the Alliance to Defend Natural Resources and Human Rights, Ven. Mahamankadawala Wimalaratana Thera, who is also known as the Eppawala Sadhu. ########### Lanka's first-ever hot air balloon festival In a major bid to promote tourism in the country, Sri Lanka's first ever hot air balloon festival will be held from March 20 to April 2. Captain Anil Jayasinghe, Chairman, Adtech Lanka, who is organising the event said that 14 foreign teams would be participating at the event including ten teams from the UK, and one team each from the USA, Australia, Switzerland as well as a combined team from Europe representing Austria, France and Germany. The highlight of the event will be the Night Glow musical show to be held at the Parliament Grounds on the 30th of this month which will be graced by Dr. Brian Jones who flew around the world in a record breaking adventure trip in 1999. The show is in aid of Project Hope for cancer victims. The tour will cover many of the island's natural and cultural attractions including Anuradhapura, Polonnaruva, Sigiriya, Uda Walawe and Hambantota and is supported by the Ceylon Tourist Board as part of its eco-tourism and sports tourism strategy. An official of the Tourism Ministry praised the event and said that it would bring added publicity to the country, especially as it would project Sri Lanka as a safe tourist destination. He also noted that this was in keeping with the ministry's recent emphasis on promoting adventure sporting, a new dimension of tourism in Sri Lanka that is fast catching on among tourists visiting the country. Capt. Jayasinghe said that he planned to make the festival an annual event similar to the hot air balloon festivals of Alburqueque, Bristol and Japan. He noted that if we could hold an Asian Balloon Festival in Sri Lanka and make it competitive, it could encourage the World Ballooning Federation to hold an international ballooning competition here, which in turn could boost tourism in the country. ########### 850,000 Sri Lankan migrant workers in Middle East There are about 850,000 Sri Lankan working mainly in the Middle East and of them nearly 181,370, had left the country legally for employment abroad in the year 2002, said His Lordship Rt. Rev. Dr. Kingsley Swampillai, Chairman of the Catholic National Commission for Migrants. Addressing a seminar on "Migration" on Friday (March 7) at the Auditorium of the Aquinas College of Higher Studies, Borella, with Rt.Rev. Archbishop Stephen Fumio Hamao, President of the Pontifical Council for Migrants and Tourism as chief guest, Bishop Swampillai said that " people, especially women and unskilled workers were forced to migrate due to abject poverty in the country and added that according to studies by the social alert, the typical age level of the migrant workers were between 18 and 40 and most of them were unskilled domestic workers". In 1986 unskilled women migrant workers were only 33 per cent of the total migrant population but by the year 2000, it had increased to 67 per cent and among the female migrants 93 per cent were domestic workers. ########### High award for service to Cambodia Dr. Hema Goonatilake, a Senior Advisor to the Cambodian government has been awarded Cambodia's highest honour for foreigners "Saha Mithra" "Friend in Co-operation" for her service to Cambodia in Buddhism and educational fields. The award was made by the Prime Minister Hun Sen at a public meeting with leading members of the government, Sangha and diplomatic community. Dr. Goonatilake had first gone in charge of the women's projects in the UN-organized reconstruction of Cambodia. Later as a Senior Advisor to the Buddhist Institute and to the Ministry of Religions, she helped reconstitute the Buddhist Institute, the country's first academic institution, established in the 1920s and the most important Buddhist studies center in (then) French Indo-China. It was destroyed by Pol Pot. She helped reestablish its library. Today it is a full-fledged library with a collection of Buddhist related books numbering around 20,000 with dozens of computers and fully connected to the Internet. She has organized the Cambodian Buddhist nuns into a nation-wide association with the Queen of Cambodia as patron. In 1997 this Association under her guidance hosted the International Sakyadhita Conference. She launched an intensive program of training and education for the nuns. ########### Appeal to save child's life One and a half year old Thaviska who is suffering with an acute heart ailment has been advised to undergo heart surgery to save his life. The surgery will cost around Rs. 160,000. The father of the child is unable to afford to meet this expenses and thus, appeals to the generous public to contribute to A/c No. 209-067-809-7. D. S. Navarathne (father), 24, Lansiyawatta, Hendala, Wattala. ########### Help save her eye sight Forty-seven-year-old Piyaseeli Ranasinghe Silva of Wilegoda, Bandaragama, a chronic diabetic is on verge of losing her eyesight. As Piyaseeli is unable to meet the expenses to undergo medical treatment, she requests financial help from the generous public, to contribute to Hatton National Bank, Piliyandala A/c No. 02-1679701-2. |
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