Lanka, a good investment destination – Japanese Special Envoy

Sri Lanka’s third largest global financier envisions the country to be a good investment destination.

“As you recover and restore a country which is now peaceful and united, we are on your side. Lanka provides a good investment environment for Japanese,” said the visiting Japanese Special Envoy Yasushi Akashi when he paid a courtesy call on Industry and Commerce Minister Rishad Bathiudeen in Colombo recently.

The Ambassador of Japan in Sri Lanka, Nobuhito Hobo, MP Hunais Farook, General Secretary, All Ceylon Makkal Congress,Y. L. S. Hameed, Deputy Chairman, Eastern Provincial Council, Ameer Ali Shihabdeen and Member, Northern Provincial Council, M Janufer were also present.

Minister Bathiudeen, speaking on behalf of the displaced Northern Muslims, said, “Whenever you visit Sri Lanka it is a boost for bilateral relations between the two countries. During the resettlement process, as Minister of Resettlement, I gave priority to the recently displaced people of the North, about 300,000, and almost all of them were Tamils.”

“At the same time 100,000 Muslims who were displaced earlier were in makeshift camps in Puttalam and Anuradhapura for the past 22 years,” he said.

“I started the resettlement process at Menik Farm for Tamils. The resettlement process for Muslims was started later. After I was given this portfolio, a new Minister took over the resettlement ministry, the Minister said.

“Those days there were many NGOs supporting the displaced but now most of the NGOs have left and the displaced Muslims are suffering. This will become a big issue in the future,” he said.

Envoy Akashi said, “Japan is honoured to work closely with Sri Lanka. We have attached great importance to Sri Lanka’s Northern and Eastern provinces in our aid and assistance programs. You are making a great effort to recover from the destruction due to terrorism.

“Recognising the diversity and need for tolerance among various ethnic groups and religions, is a sensitive task and I wish you success in this,” he said.

“I have carefully listened to the concerns of Muslim communities in the North and the East.

"Japan has never forgotten the importance of the Muslim community as a stakeholder in the peace process and subsequent rehabilitation and reconstruction stages,” Akashi said. “We are aware of your existence. I have noticed that the merger of North and the East is not something you wish for. I think the Muslim community has an important role to play. As the third stakeholder, the Muslim community can play a balancing role to unite communities,” he said.

“The Northern people are hard-working. Even one-third of Colombo's population appears to be from North. Lanka provides a good investment environment for Japan. Lanka is an ideal spot for the Japanese small and medium sector to invest. Problems can be resolved by a conciliatory approach rather than by confrontation,” Akashi said.

“From TNA I learnt that they are happy about Japan’s role in Sri Lanka. The Northern Chief Minister seems to be having some communication problems with the central government. They are anxious and worried. But I said that they should be patient and continue the dialogue with the Government,” he said.

“The Northern Chief Minister is a good man. Everybody admires him, but his experience as a politician and administrator is not great. He has been an outstanding judge,” Akashi said.

“Everyone should work together and help him and not impose solutions on him (the Northern Chief Minister). Everyone should help him perform his role.

All, including the Muslim parties, should work with the new leader,” he said.

Ambassador of Japan, Nobuhito Hobo said, “No investor wants to invest in areas where there are problems. Though differences exist, Lankans express willingness to create harmony.”

Minister Bathiudeen said, “Earlier we did not have any differences but the terrorists chased us away. When terrorism was wiped out, all the Tamils were resettled but not the Muslims.

No one talks about them - no media, no diaspora. Japan has been a great friend of Sri Lanka and we are thankful for continuous Japanese support over the past decades.

Even where the Indian housing scheme was concerned, Muslims are not given their share. It is time to clear the land issue.”

Envoy Akashi said, “You are persuasive on the problems of Muslim minority in Sri Lanka. Your problems are quite complex – especially the land issue, which is important for all communities. It’s being addressed.

So in the months to come a better situation could emerge. Let us be patient and start communicating with each other. Since your concerns are legitimate, you should continue to ask for more attention on the problem of your people. We should not adopt a simplistic approach.”