Two Sisters meet each other after 30 years

Due to the war situation in the Marimuthu Lecheemy ,66 was living as a refugee in an elders home, at Wankalai taken care by Catholic Nuns. When a NAFSO team visited this home recently they met her, and she informed them that she has a sister who is residing in Nuwaraeliya , a city in the central part of Sri Lanka.

The team once they returned immediately contacted one of our Partner organizations in Nuwra eliya. Lecheemi’s Sister was Marimuththu Aiyamma and she was 55.Our partner FOLICEB was able to locate her after making a series of inquiries from the area.

Finally NAFSO decided to bring Lecheemy to Nuwara eliya in order meet her sister and on 06th of , February 2010 the two sisters met each other after a period of 30 years. It was an emotional event. The ending took a much happier tone as Aiyamma and her family decided to welcome Lecheemy into their home ending her status as a refugee.

Even though the ending of Lecheemy’s story had an happy ending there are thousands of Children, Women and men living as displaced refugees in the North and eastern parts of Sri Lanka.

Six Lankan fishermen arrested in TN

According to the PRESS TRUST OF INDIA toady another six Sri Lankan fishermen has been arrested by the Indian Coastal Security group and they were taken in to custody. We would like to draw an attention of The Ministry of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources in Sri Lanka to take immediate action to release them from the custody.

They will be in the in the jail as prisoners for a long time unless SL authorities act fast.

the related news as follows:

Rameswaram, Dec 7 (PTI) Six Lankan Fishermen were formally arrested today after they were taken into custody by the Coastal Security Group (CSG) last night for fishing in Indian waters off Karaikal coast.

Cases were registered against them on the orders of District Collector, T N Hariharan and they were produced before Judicial Magistrate S Kumaresan, who remanded them to judicial custody.

India withdraws case against Lankan fishermen

Shirley WIJESINGHE
The Indian Government yesterday decided to withdraw the Court case against fishermen detained under the custody of its Coast Guard Force in the Andaman Islands.
This follows a top level discussion held with Indian Government, Deputy Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Neomal Perera told the Daily News.
The discussion was held by a special Sri Lankan delegation under the direction of President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
The Ministry will take all arrangements to bring them back to Sri Lanka after being released by the Indian Coast Guard, the Deputy Minister said.
There were 184 detainees in the custody of the Indian Coast Guard Force including the 51 detainees in Andaman Islands.

News Source: Dailynews

As National Fisheries Solidarity Movement (NAFSO) we are really happy to see the progress of this fishermen's issue in Andaman Island those who were taken in to custody in 08th February 2009 as they crossed the indian sea boarder.

After 8 months we couldn't see any practical involvement of the Sri Lankan Government to get them release and the family members were in a difficult position to mange even their day today lives after becoming them prisiners in India. At that time we had to involve to support fisher people becoming campaingners of the protest they held near the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquatic Resourcess last month and we beleive that, we could awake responsible authorities to involve in this matter practiclally.

Legal team to India to secure fishermen's release

The Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Minister has decided to send a delegation including legal officers of the Ministry to India next week to discus the issue of Sri Lanka fishermen who are currently in Indian custody, a Ministry Senior Official told the Daily News yesterday.
Nearly 184 Sri Lankan fishermen, 51 in Andaman Islands, 64 in Visakhapatnam and 69 in Chennai are detained in India for illegally entering Indian waters.
Fishermen in the custody are from Negombo, Chilaw , Colombo and Wennappuwa areas.
The issue related to fishermen detained in Chennai is now over without a court case and they will be released shortly. Detainees in Visakhapatnam had been fined by the Court and discussion is being conducted to reduce the fine rate.
The issue of 51 detainees in the Andaman Island is yet to be resolved, Official explained the present situation.
He added that Sri Lanka Government has already commenced the discussions with the Indian High Commission to release the detainees under the custody of Indian Coastal Guard force. The above decision was taken after having series discussions held with the Indian Government through the Indian High Commission.
News Source: Daily News

13th National Youth Committee Meeting took place in Ampara district....

13th National Committee Meeting took place in Puthuwill, Ampara District from 22 to 23rd last October with the participation of 50 youths representing 12 district partner organizations. This time they had discussed very serious issues happing around us and the main global issues including climate change, disaster mitigation, poverty, drought that people are facing in some region in the country and specially there had been a dialogue how to involve in these issues as youth of Sri Lanka.

“ We paid our attention on these issues to discuss in depth, because our target is to build a National Youth Movement for a Better Social and Environmental Change .“ added coordinator of this programme.


As district wise programme which were conducted are
Environmental conservation programs, coastal conservation activities, Environmental study field visits, cultural programs and training WS conducted on Global warming and climate change.

Discussed future activities in the NCM
Building and maintaining bowers (shady leafy places near lagoons), coastal conservation activities, conducting disaster mitigation trainings for selected youth groups, and monitoring of conducted activities in the filed.

National level activities
Deep trainings in the end of the year, distributing the printed book on disaster management, printing a book with the collected information out of filed visit and the arrangements of the celebration of World Fisheries Day on 21st November 2009 at Hambantota district were the main discussed issues in the period of Youth National Committee meeting event.

Wis. specialty crops industry gets grants

MADISON, Wis. - Farm officials say Wisconsin's specialty crops industry, which includes fruits, vegetables, nuts and flowers, will get most of a $750,000 grant awarded to the state by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The money is to be used to make specialty crops more competitive, and is part of $49 million awarded nationally. For example, the Wisconsin Grape Growers will get $35,000 to develop educational materials of use to consumers and winemakers about popular grape varieties. The Wisconsin Cranberry Growers Association gets $16,500 to study whether marshes are useful for wind and solar energy production.

The state Agriculture Department also gets money for cooperative projects, such as $35,000 for SavorWisconsin.com., an online site that allows specialty crop farmers to promote their businesses directly to consumers.

The International Agrycultural news quoted from Chicago Tribune..

International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction

October 13, 2009
International Day for Natural Disaster ReductionTHE observance of the International Day for Disaster Reduction on October 14, 2009, takes place in a year that is seeing its share of natural calamities. It focuses on making “Hospitals Safe from Disasters,’’ a carry-over theme from the previous year.
Natural disasters such as the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunamis, get media attention, inspire action, and remain in our memories. But the suffering caused by chronic and small scale disasters such as flooding, landslides, and water contamination often escape the limelight.
A report by the World Bank estimates that three and a quarter billion people or more than half of the world’s population are exposed to at least one natural disaster a year and that in the last 50 years, the severity of impacts from natural disasters has increased, due in part to the loss of healthy ecosystems in the regions affected. Although natural disasters are often presented as rare and unexpected, the reality is that they now occur more frequently, affect more people, and cause higher economic damage than ever before.
These natural disasters exert an enormous burden on development. Each year natural disasters take a toll on nations, a toll that is measured in deaths, injuries, property damage, and economic losses. Cities are increasingly home to such types of disasters and serve as places for tackling the underlying issues that leave people vulnerable to these threats. Already we see the hints of the way climate change will affect cities, including the rise in sea level.
A new survey finds that the risks from natural disasters can be drastically reduced if local communities are involved in implementing policies enacted on the national level. Urban disaster risk reduction goes hand in hand with poverty reduction, and it can easily be linked to international efforts to achieve a better standard of living for the growing number of urban dwellers struggling to make both ends meet.
While humanitarian action to lessen the impact of disasters will always be vitally important, the global community is facing a critical challenge: How to better anticipate, manage, and reduce disaster risks by integrating the potential threat into its planning and policies. From a human perspective, all disasters are health issues and damage to health systems affect nations as a whole and all sectors of society. It has, therefore, become imperative to have disaster safe hospitals as part of a disaster safe community.
Disasters are not unchangeable facts of life but are a result of human vulnerability to natural hazards. Disaster reduction is, therefore everybody’s concern. It is only in investing in tangible risk reduction that we can reduce weakness to these misfortunes.
Quoted: mb.com.ph