Matthew spent part of the summer recess on a visit to Sri Lanka to see for himself how the island is developing following the end of the conflict in 2008. Travelling from Colombo to Kandy, Jaffna, Killinochchi, Trincomalee and Trincomalee, Matthew met with Sri Lankan politicians, NGOs, business leaders, UK Government representatives and local people to see how the peace process is being sustained; what can be done to promote Anglo-Sri Lankan trade and improve economic development; and how the UK Government is helping to improve life on the island for everyone.
Matthew was particularly keen to take the opportunity to examine how the Department of International Development (DfID) is spending UK taxpayers money in Sri Lanka through its mine clearance programme.
Matthew said: ""The Hendon constituency has a significant number of people from the island of Sri Lanka who have encouraged me to see how the country is developing and I was keen to see for myself what UK funded projects are achieving. My interest in mine clearance is well known and I was pleased to go on a tour of a minefield and learn that over 4.5 million sq. metres of minefields have been cleared by the Halo Trust, through funds from the DfID. This has allowed 78,984 people to return to their homes and land in the Killinochchi and Mullaitivu regions.
""This work is a real example of how the UK government is playing a positive role in the country and assisting in the peace process. I urge anyone who has an interest in Sri Lanka to put their weight behind such projects which will not only help to cement peace but will also help to improve economic conditions across the island and, ultimately, the lives of those living there.""