Australia will give a total of Australian dollars 34 million (about Rs. 4,610 million) over a period of four years to support education in Sri Lanka. The money will be disbursed as education grants. Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Bob Carr, who is visiting the country, made the announcement yesterday when he visited St. Anthony’s Balika [...]

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Australia pledges A$ 34m in educational aid

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Australia will give a total of Australian dollars 34 million (about Rs. 4,610 million) over a period of four years to support education in Sri Lanka.

Mr. Carr in a lively conversation with St. Anthony’s College students. Pic by Susantha Liyanawatte

The money will be disbursed as education grants. Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Bob Carr, who is visiting the country, made the announcement yesterday when he visited St. Anthony’s Balika Vidyalaya in Kollupitiya. The school receives Australian support through the Sri Lankan government.

Asked by the media whether the financial assistance was linked to the problem of Australia-bound illegal immigrants from Sri Lanka, Minister Carr said, “I will put it this way – when it comes to the whole problem of human trafficking, people smuggling and illegal immigration, building a stable society with good prospects for economic growth is the smart thing to do.”

The Minister said he would comment on the problem of people smuggling once he had concluded discussions with Sri Lankan officials.

Australia and Sri Lanka will inaugurate tomorrow a joint working group on People Smuggling and Transnational Crime.

The initiative will be led by Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Martin Bowles, Secretary of the Department of Immigration and Citizenship of the Australian Government.




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