Sri Lanka 'facing aid shortfall'

[Heidi]

Source: BBC

Page last updated at 05:04 GMT, Monday, 3 August 2009 06:04 UK

Sri Lanka needs massive international financial assistance to help tens of thousands of Tamils displaced by conflict, the defence secretary says.

In a BBC interview, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa said he expected much more than had been promised by donors including the UN, the US and Japan.

The funds are needed for facilities for nearly 300,000 people currently housed in government-run camps in the north.

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Sri Lanka's defence budget this year reached about $1.7bn, about 4% its gross domestic product (GDP), and there are expectations that with the end of the war, defence expenditure could be reduced to divert funds for rehabilitation work.




Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8180817.stm

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Earlier, related Latest Breaking News thread:
Sri Lanka welcomes IMF bailout

[bemildred]

1. "Expected much more"? nt