SL’s reconciliation vastly improved: C’wealth Secretary

Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland has praised Sri Lanka’s progress in strengthening democracy and reconciliation, the government said (29) tomorrow.

She has said the country’s resilience was greatly evident from the restoration of normalcy quickly after the Tsunami disaster in 2004 and many countries could take lessons from Sri Lanka’s success story.

When Dame Scotland called on President Maithripala Sirisena at the Loews Regency Hotel in New York on Friday, the President briefed her on the progress made in the last three and half years in reconciliation, strengthening democracy and restoration of human rights.

She said that in her recent visit to Sri Lanka she saw the positive developments taking place on all fronts and congratulated the President and the government. The President invited the Secretary-General to pay another visit to Sri Lanka at her convenience.

President Sirisena said Sri Lanka considered eradication of illegal drugs and climate change as major challenges and asked the Commonwealth to expand activities in these areas as they would benefit most of the 57 member states.

He had silenced even a family member with an angry retort when the latter tried to hold a brief for those under fire, they say.