Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama received assurances on Friday (01 June 2007) from the Singapore Government that it will work closely with the Sri Lankan authorities to curb any possible use of Singaporean territory by the LTTE for its operations.

The Minister received this assurance when he met with the Foreign Minister of Singapore George Yeo and Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean of in separate meetings on Friday. The Minister was accompanied by Foreign Secretary Dr. Palitha B. Kohona. Minister Bogollagama and Foreign Secretary are presently in Singapore to attend the 6th Annual Asian Security Summit - the Shangri-La Dialogue, which commences its sessions later on Friday night in Singapore.

The Shangri-La Dialogue is a forum organized by the International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS), and brings together 25 official government delegations led mainly by Defence Ministers, Foreign Ministers, Chiefs of Defence Staff and other senior officials, who will deliberate on security-related issues with legislators, experts, academics and business people from Asia-Pacific region and key outside powers. Foreign Minister Bogollagama is scheduled to address the forum on Sunday (03 June 2007) in the plenary session "Securing Regional Waters: How Much Progress?" The Sri Lanka delegation also includes Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa , Chief of Staff Air Chief Marshall Donald Perera, Sri Lanka's High Commissioner in Singapore Shehan Ratnavale and the Foreign Ministry's Director General/Public Communications Ravinatha Aryasinha and Director General/East Asia and Pacific Ahmed Jawad.

Minister Bogollagama who is paying his first visit to Singapore since assuming office as Foreign Minister, briefed the Singaporean Ministers on current developments in Sri Lanka including the efforts being made to counter the terrorist threat posed by the LTTE. The Singaporean authorities expressed understanding of the situation faced by Sri Lanka and offered to cooperate with the Government of Sri Lanka. In this context the Minister discussed a draft MOU with the Singaporean Government on intelligence sharing and also technical assistance with regard to container surveillance. The Singapore Government also assured Sri Lanka that it would closely monitor possible LTTE efforts to use Singapore as a nodal point for money laundering and for satellite transmission of its TV programmes. Closer cooperation on curbing human smuggling was also discussed.

Minister Bogollagama, also delivered a public lecture on "Sri Lanka; Safe Destination for Business" at a well attended forum organized by the Institute of South Asian Studies in association with the Singapore Business Federation and Singapore Indian Chamber of Commerce & Industry at the Ritz Carlton Hotel this morning.

Addressing an audience which included a cross section of academics, business leaders and prospective investors said Singapore had always been a partner in the progress of Sri Lanka, being one of the largest investors in Sri Lanka with a number of pioneer projects since 1977. He said successive Governments since 1977 had maintained market oriented economic policies having considered the importance of private sector led economic growth. He said Sri Lanka's steady growth is an ample testimony to show private sector performance in the economy.

The Minister added that Sri Lanka offers a number incentives, most importantly safety of foreign investment is guaranteed by the country's constitution. Many foreign investors are doing well in Sri Lanka and were expanding their operations. The Minister highlighted the success story of Dialog Malaysia which has earned US $ 70 million net profit in 2006 has invested another US $ 150 million on an expansion.

The LTTE is a ruthless terror group who fights for a mono-ethnic separate homeland for the Tamils living in Sri Lanka since 1983. It has been the outfit's strategy since its inception to flush out Singhalese and Muslim people from North and East by bloody ethnic cleansing raids. Thousands of civilians, mostly women and children were perished in the most ruthless massacres during its 20 years of terror campaign.