FCO Director for South Asia visits Jaffna
FCO Director for South Asia, Neil Crompton, made an official visit to Jaffna on Wednesday, 27 March, 2013.
Neil Crompton, Robbie Bulloch and Colin Pawley
He was accompanied by the British Deputy High Commissioner, Robbie Bulloch.They visited a demining site in Valalai funded by the British Government and run by the UK charity The HALO Trust and a micro-finance initiative for war widows supported by Standard Chartered Bank.
Commenting on his visit, Neil Crompton said, “I was eager to see for myself the situation in Jaffna, the main city of an area so badly affected by the war. I was pleased to see the physical progress made in many areas since the end of the conflict, such as in demining and making large amounts of land inhabitable again. I am pleased that the UK has been able to help in this. However, many challenges still remain – the destructive force of war has made that inevitable. I urge Sri Lankans of all backgrounds to work together to heal the wounds of so many years through further work on reconciliation. I welcome the plan to hold Northern Provincial Council elections in September as an important part of the return to normalcy.”
They also met the SF Commander to the North, the Governor of the Northern Province, the Indian Consul in Jaffna and civil society based in the area.