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Message: <blockquote data-quote="lkdood" data-source="post: 9077282" data-attributes="member: 92282"><img src="http://photos.state.gov/libraries/sri-lanka/5/images/pr-23dec10-large.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" />U.S. Ambassador Butenis presented five ambulances today to Sri Lanka  Army (SLA) Chief of Staff Major General Daya Ratnayake to assist the  SLA’s humanitarian demining efforts in the North.  The vehicles will  ensure that demining teams have emergency medical care and  transportation at all times. Since the summer of 2009, the US has contributed over Rs 1.10 billion  ($10 million) in funding, equipment and training to help the Sri Lankan  Army and international humanitarian demining organizations to clear the  areas of the North and East that were blanketed with mines as a result  of the conflict.  In addition to today’s donation, last month the U.S.  Embassy provided four trucks to the SLA for humanitarian demining  activities and soon the U.S. Embassy will present seven large Tata  trucks to transport SLA demining teams.  The United States Government is  also working with the Army to provide an additional Rs. 113 million ($1  million) in demining equipment.    Speaking at the event, Ambassador Butenis said, “I commend the  Government’s efforts in resettling most of those who were internally  displaced by the fighting. Demining is an essential element of this  resettlement process.  The mines have meant that people can’t return to  their homes, that farmers can’t plant and harvest crops, that villagers  have to worry about explosives in water wells, and that children can  mistake a mine for a toy.  Due to the heroic efforts of the Sri Lankan  Army and Sri Lankan and international demining organizations, large  swaths of the North and East are now cleared of mines. However, much  work still remains and our continuing support will enable the process to  be completed more quickly.” Appreciating the humanitarian demining assistance to Sri Lanka Army  by the US State department since 2003, Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Chief of  Staff Major General Daya Ratnayake said, “The ambulances donated today  will definitely help the Army HDU to expand Humanitarian Demining  activities further whilst maintaining the desired degree of safety.  Whilst extending our gratitude on behalf of the Commander of the Army I  sincerely hope that US Government will continue to extend assistance in  future too.”<a href="http://srilanka.usembassy.gov/pr-23dec10.html" target="_blank">srilanka.usembassy.gov</a></blockquote>

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