Colombo, Mar 08: The Asian Development Bank today urged the international community to help rebuild Sri Lanka, even before the country reaches a final settlement to end its civil war. ADB president Tadao Chino arrived in Sri Lanka on Thursday for a four-day visit and travelled to the island's north, where he discussed development projects with officials from the Tamil tiger rebels, who have been fighting a separatist war for nearly two decades.
"We need to provide continued assistance to sustain and enhance the peace process while waiting for a lasting peace," Chino told reporters in the capital, Colombo. The ADB provides USD 200 million in annual assistance to Sri Lanka, and may increase that after a donor conference in Tokyo in June.


The government estimates at least USD 500 million is needed to rebuild the war-ravaged nation.

The rebels began their insurgency in 1983 to create a separate state for the minority Tamils accusing majority Sinhalese of discrimination. Nearly, 65,000 people were killed and another 1.6 million displaced before a Norway-brokered cease-fire was signed last year.

The truce has paved the way for five rounds of peace talks, during which the rebels have agreed to accept regional autonomy. Bureau Report