UK Minister for Asia and the Pacific Mark Field in Sri Lanka from Oct 5- 6

UK Minister for Asia and the Pacific Mark Field will begin a two day visit to Sri Lanka tomorrow (Oct. 5) to discuss reconciliation, demining and the illegal wildlife trade.
 
The visit to Colombo and Jaffna on the 5th and 6th October is Mr Field’s first official visit to Sri Lanka since becoming Foreign Office Minister for Asia and the Pacific, the British High
Commission said in a news release.
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During his two-day visit he will meet Minister of Foreign Affairs Tilak Marapana, Minister of Finance and Media Mangala Samaraweera, Leader of the Opposition R. Sampanthan, Speaker of Parliament Karu Jayasuriya and Governor of the Northern Province Reginald Cooray.
 
In Colombo he will meet with families affected by enforced disappearances from both the north and south of the country, and hear of their concerns and their hopes for the Office of Missing Persons.  He will also meet UK and Sri Lankan education institutions at the British Council to discuss education, and the UK’s world-leading role in transnational learning.
 
In northern Sri Lanka, the Minister will visit a UK-funded demining operation and meet families living on land cleared of mines. He will speak with British demining charity The Halo Trust and hear how UK support for demining has enabled displaced families to return home. He will also visit the British Council teaching centre in Jaffna where he will talk with young people about their aspirations for the future and the importance of education.

(CK)