British High Commissioner visits Halo Trust demining site in Muhamalai

Tuesday, 2 September 2014 02:05 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

British High Commi-ssioner to Sri Lanka John Rankin visited a demining site in Muhamalai during a visit to the north yesterday. The site is operated by the UK-based demining agency, The Halo Trust. Commenting on the visit to the site, the British High Commissioner said: “The UK is a long-time supporter of demining in Sri Lanka. We have provided 3.5 million pounds from 2010-2014. The latest funding programme – which was announced by our Prime Minister David Cameron during CHOGM last year – is worth 1.6 million pounds (Rs. 3.5 billion). It began in July this year and will continue for 18 months. “Funding for The HALO Trust supports the clearing of mines and explosive ordinance focusing on heavily-contaminated parts of the north, particularly in the Jaffna, Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu Districts, as well as related mine risk education activities and capacity building with the Sri Lankan Government. Demining is a vital post-conflict activity and I was pleased to see first-hand the UK’s contribution to restoring safety to communities and allowing land to be put back to productive use.”