Fishermen Scoop Up Sri Lanka’s Peace Dividend

It was just after dawn and the fish market beneath this port city’s clock tower was humming. Fishermen shouldering baskets laden with the night’s catch tipped their Spanish mackerel, tuna and prawns onto the slick concrete floor for buyers. Sweaty men with clipboards and wads of cash leaned in close to inspect with crinkled noses, squinting eyes and prodding fingers.

“I’ll take this for 500 rupees a kilo,” nearly $5, one buyer said to an expectant fisherman, waving his chin in the direction of a large, glistening yellowfin tuna. “Can you get me more?”

Fishermen here certainly hope so. The end of the brutal 26-year war against the Tamil Tiger insurgency in Sri Lanka prompted the government to ease fishing restrictions on Trincomalee’s harbor, breathing new life into the region’s moribund fishing industry. Boats once moldering on shore now go on all-night runs for tuna, squid and lobster. Ghostly markets are coming back to life. Read more ...

Italy to assist Sri Lanka's humanitarian efforts

The government of Italy has allocated an immediate voluntary contribution of 400,000 Euros to the World Food Programme (WFP), to assist Sri Lanka's Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

According to the Sri Lanka Foreign Ministry, the Italian government has taken this decision in response to the joint appeal made by the Sri Lankan government and the United Nations to the international community for assistance.

Italy will grant these funds through a project called "Food for peace building and recovery in conflict-affected areas." Read more ...