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
