Rajapaksa wants Colombo–Jaffna expressway
Soon after opening the first expressway in the country, connecting the capital Colombo with the southern port city of Galle on Sunday, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa has begun spadework on the next infrastructure project: An expressway linking the capital with the Tamil-dominated Jaffna.
“I will work on the Jaffna expressway so that the distance can be covered in three hours,” Mr. Rajapaksa said. Jaffna is about 400 km from Colombo. The A-9 highway leads to Jaffna and the road, which had not been re-topped in a few decades, is being repaired in stages now. A one-way journey takes upwards of 10 hours by bus now.
“The President is determined about it [the Colombo – Jaffna expressway,” said Director General, Presidential Media, Bandula Jayasekara. “He said the country needs more connectivity to bring people together,” he added.
The expressway linking the two cities is in top of his mind and figured in his Monday morning briefing. Mr. Rajapaksa, who is also in charge of Highways, has directed his officials to get on with the preliminary works so that work begins on an early date. He is particular that the delays that plagued the first expressway does not come back to delay the work on the Jaffna highway.
Developing infrastructure
Mr. Rajapaksa is pushing to get Sri Lanka infrastructure-ready to make sure that foreign investments are not held back merely because the country’s transport and other infrastructure is in a shambles. Work is already on to build a second passenger terminal at the gateway to Sri Lanka, the Bandaranaike International Airport; a second international airport is coming up at Hambantota and other smaller airports in the country are being developed.
India, for instance, has helped in rebuilding the runway at the Palaly airport in Jaffna. The country’s main airline, Sri Lankan, has begin operating air taxis to many destinations – Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Bentota, Trincomallee and Arugam Bay.
Besides, work on the Colombo Port’s second terminal is apace and India is working on the Kankasanthurai harbour, which is closest to the Tamil Nadu coast. Roads across the country are being re-laid and air-connectivity between Colombo and some world capitals have recently been revived.
The number of tourist arrivals crossed the mark set for the year 2011 in November – 7.5 lakh.
Courtesy: The Hindu
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Excellent! After that it should be Expressways to Trinco, Baticaloa, Katunayake and Kandy.
Norway called the LTTE terrorists, “Freedom Fighters”. They directly and indirectly funded their cause, bribed key officials in the Defence Forces and govt, to help LTTE secure victories. They strengthened LTTE while at the same time weakened the resolve of Defence Forces and the governments of the day to defeat LTT^E. All Norway’s efforts were reduced to zero with the election of MR as President and the dawn of new age of Freedom from terrorism.
Norway was our enemy and still is, as much as LTTE. They have now tried to cover-up their evil tracks by writing a false report of the failure of the so-called ‘peace effort’. There is ample concrete evidence of their duplicity, subversion and even military aid to LTTE. Norway therefore owes SL billions of dollars in compensation.
Isn’t it time Hon President requests Norway such compensation for the deaths and destruction caused by LTTE for 30 years? This would pay for the infra-structure building and development of SL. There is no need for loans from IMF or World Bank etc. Why should our people have to pay for such development when Norway owes us so much compensation? If Norway refuses there should be some mechanism whereby Norway could be taken to an International Court to demand such compensation. Hon President need to take this courageous step just as he courageously withstood the imperial West’s pressue to stop the war of Humanitarian Operation.
LTTE has huge funds in secret Swiss bank accounts, fixed and liquid assets in the West. All this should be seized through legal action in an International Court to pay for the development of SL. Hon President should create a team of legal experts to pursue this matter without further delay.
The person who has the keys to the LTT bank vaults in Switzerland is an honourable guest extraordinaire of the Government of Sri Lanka. The person is housed at tax payer’s expense within the hallowed precincts of Visumpaya.
Nicholas has an excellent point in seeking compensation from the Norweigians.
A recent report on the disastrous peace efforts in Sri Lanka points to total failure.
Can GOSL sue the Norweigians in SL’s supreme court for damages caused by negligence?
Norway should be sued for direct and indirect aid to the gruesome terrorist group LTTE, which has been proscribed in SL as well as in several countries in the West and in the world. It was illegal for Norway, a member of the UN, to aid a terrorist group directly and indirectly, contrary to the law of the land and UN charter. The mere fact Norway called the LTTE ‘Freedom Fighters’ will not exempt them from the charge of aiding and abetting a terrorist group, with military training, supply of arms directly and indirectly and funding directly and indirectly. The fact they acted as ‘peace broker’ does not exempt them either from the serious charges I have mentioned above.
I do hope Hon President gives this matter serious attention and appoint a team of legal experts in international and national law to pursue this matter courageously. There is ample solid evidence of the devious acts of crimes committed by Norway in the support they extended to LTTE to commit terrorist acts in SL, which destroyed so many lives and property. The families who lost their dear ones should be compensated as well as for the material and economic losses incurred by SL, through Norway’s subterfuge and subversion. During the Humanitarian Operation the heroic army was able to gather from the LTTE bases, from VP’s base especially, video as well as printed evidence of the extent to which Norway co-operated with LTTE, to help them secure autonomy/secession for the LTTE through millitant means of naked terrorism.
KP is a devious, evil man who should not enjoy ‘house arrest’ and maintained at public expense. He was the ‘banker’ of the LTTE and held all the details of the bank accounts at Swiss Banks as well as in other parts of the world. He knew also details of all the other assets, fixed and liquid, held by LTTE around the world. He knows the details of the businesses, legal and illegal, from which LTTE still generates money.
Though he had been questioned at length and reports sent to the President, the public is kept in the dark of the contents of these reports. Where is the transparency of the President in this regard? Does he think the public has no right to such information about KP? Why is this man tolerated and allowed to enjoy a comfortable lifestyle at State expense? He deserves to be charged for his terrorist crimes and brought before the Courts, like SF. If found guilty he should be punished, as SF was punished. Infact, he deserves a long sentence of hard labour. Has he bought his ‘House Arrest’ from MR and no charges to be preferred against him for a large sum of money?
Excellent..! Excellent..!! Of course, Why not…
Worlds no. 01 jokers are also from srilanka…!!!
These great jokers hate bitterly norway & other westerns, while embracing the “gods myth belief” given by westerns.!
What a dual minded mads are they.? They may have made by so called god using flexible wires instead of bones. That’s why then can bend & bias any direction & all directions without being ashamed.!
Whatever we exchange, but still SF inside till 2016….Please sign in below site and vote for SF
https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions/%21/petition/urge-release-former-commander-sri-lankan-army-and-presidential-candidate-general-ret-sarath-fonseka/Bc5DNPg2?utm_source=wh.gov&utm_medium=shorturl&utm_campaign=shorturl
What others to do for sf now.? He has made him a prisoner himself.! We didn’t ask him to go against the president. If he became the president then he’ll make more prisoners than this as he said & including the hopper cook…..
heyyyyyyyyyyy,
who is that corniche,listen,fonseka deserve 30 years not a 3 years,if ur family r very clean & innocent,then send sf’s son in law also for trial.
There are 5,900 signatures on the petition to the White House; 19,100 more signatures are required prior to 31 Dec 11.
Whe 25,000 signatures are obtained on the petition, the Obama administration will review the subject matter and develop a policy.
SF’s incarceration is classified as a “political prisoner”; so was Journalist Tissanayagam who was “convicted” under the dreaded Prvention of Terrorism Act. US armtwisting of GOSL eventually led to Tissanayagam’s release.
There is regime change in the air early next year. The US is attempting to provide SL voters with a legitimate alternative.
The traditional opposition party is in the doldrums; the recent sexual harassment allegations against the wimp clinging to leadership is the last nail in the Green Party’s coffin.
So readers, hold your breath while change occurs at lightning speed early next year.
every one must see both side of story in every situation, may in our personal life too….
BE VERY OPEN MINDED….no one is perfect..think positve.. be positive.. act positive.. life will be positive..nation will be positive…
JS is wasting his time. He is appealing to USA, the imperial West leader and the NATO terrorists. No neo-colonial power will be allowed to dictate to us. JS cannot therefore be a patriot. Anyone who supports the traitor SF is also a traitor himself.
Obama is due to be kicked out of White House at the next Presidential election in USA. USA and the imperial West allies are in economic doldrums following disastrous failure of capitalism. Millions are unemployed and in abject poverty. Obama’s policies have failed. Peoples’ trust have been misplaced. Obama and the NATO have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity in Libya.
Obama is distracting the world to US failures by more war mongering against Syria and Iran. He is bound to clash with Russia and China who are supporting both these countries against US and NATO imperialism. Are we heading for 3rd WW and nuclear armageddon?
All the above gentlemen including Lady Rita except ND
seem to be going round the mulberry tree away from their
target of The Southern Highway. Let us all join together
and say it is a positive step towards national develop-
-ment and racial recnciliation.
What’s this f__k_ng ‘positiveness’ despite looking good & bad status of the act…?
Is it right to be positive & think positive to kill a man..?
Is it right to be positive & think positive to rape a woman..?
So what’s the important fact before to do anything..? Positiveness or god & bad status of the act..?
There’s a stupid misleading evil magazine called ‘මනස’ also teaches fool people to find wealth with this evil course of positiveness. It says to aim only wealth ignoring even if it’s doing by killing dogs.!
Do those “bloody fool ass writers of මනස magazine” have a mind to think anything…? Those කාලකණ්ණි මනස has also send poor females in to the running public buses to distribute that evil thoughts magazine.
These evil hands have risen to send people to the hell by causing people to be evil doers..!
Wise people shouldn’t be positive to do or think anything before deciding whether it is good or bad..! Then Only should be positive to do & think good things..! That’s the theory of being perfect & pure & wealthy..!
Otherwise putting positiveness forward will lead to act as mad animals & then end up in the hell as a result of being evil doers..!