AMBALANTOTA: The Sri Lanka Ambassador of United States of America Ashley T. Wills said that Hambantota District Chamber of Commerce has a mission for the Hambantota district. The U.S., too as an embassy has a mission as well.

The Ambassador said so addressing a meeting held at the office complex of Hambantota District Chamber of Commerce on his first visit to the district after he assumed duties as Ambassador of the United States.

Continuing he said: "We have two goals as an embassy. We do lot of things. The two most important things we dedicate ourselves to are: What we can do in the NE war in Sri Lanka. We dedicate ourselves to find an end in this ferocious war. The war will ultimately bring destruction to all. Our efforts are to put an end to it in whatever possible manner".

Years ago an open economy was introduced to Sri Lanka. Distinguished people said that it was primarily going to be up to the private sector in Sri Lanka and especially the people in Hambantota district. They said that it will generate jobs and enrich the whole nation.

Hambantota is a classic case where partnership of private sector and the public sector is necessary to raise the standards of living.

The Ambassador said that in his country he believes that airports are specially for the private sector. What can be done to create a suitable infrastructure in Hambantota? It will be the private sectors’ task to prove that they can create jobs in the area.

"After visiting various parts of the country it was my bounden duty to see what I can do to promote the idea of development.

"I have no doubt that HDCC will provide the facilities to bring together the private sector and government sector for the benefit of the people in the Hambantota district and in Sri Lanka as a whole. It has worked with other donor institutions. Especially the Norwegian Ambassador Jon Westborg has provided you a vast amount of resources to Hambantota district.

"We assist not only HDCC but also various activities in Sri Lanka with the idea of seeing a prosperous Sri Lanka.

The United States government has a special relationship with Sri Lanka. It was my bounden duty to do whatever possible to promote that relationship and promote your region.

Engine of growth

Executive Director Hambantota District Chamber of Commerce Asmi Thassim said that the private sector is called upon to be the engine of growth. The Hambantota district has a history in early 1970s and in the late eighties of the unrest in the district and in the entire country especially the people born and bred in Hambantota district went through it and as the private sector we feel the real responsibility is entrusted upon us, in this collaboration of the government and the private sector and to achieve this target.

"I hope your excellency will agree that we have to be professional and also be thinking in terms of sustainability.

"We certainly need support. We have been supported from the inception by the donors and private sector as a whole, and non-government organisations.

To achieve the mission we have to go through a process, we have our objectives, our activities and at the moment we are going through that process.

"We have to be the representatives of the private sector in the district. We have to lobby and continue this process and we will have to go into a detailed series of activities starting from training. We have an Information Department. We have to deal with the needs of the community. It is the most important and valuable tool.

The training is concentrated on the development of the existing business community.

"We are very hopeful and positive since we have a lot of resources.

Our relationship with the United States of America is a long history but may be the term is only ten years. It started in the early nineties. We were recognised by the United States when we were functioning only as an association and not as a chamber by a project called PSU, which was a private sector support programme. The PSU offered us support and told us the importance of becoming a proper legal entity and quite correctly ten years ago directed us in the correct way and we registered overselves as the Hambantota District Chamber of Commerce.

"We are the first district level chamber in Sri Lanka. And we got the opportunity of creating history in a district in Sri Lanka to become the first district level chamber in Sri Lanka.

TIPS, the technology initiative of the private sector were very close to us and supported several of our investment forums in the district and in Colombo.

About five years ago we conducted an investors forum at the BMICH which was attended by about four hundred investors. This forum was supported by TIPS. Investment brochure we produced was also supported by TIPS. A number of our industrialists want to India to witness an exhibition. That was also funded by TIPS.

The programme development specialist, Nishan Fernando, District Secretary Hambantota, Ananda Amaratunga Project Director HIRDP, P. D. Gajanayaka and a team of embassy officials were present.