The Security Forces announced a major initiative designed to bring real and enduring peace to the country yesterday. For over two decades, fighting has severely affected the lives of the people of Jaffna. Children have suffered the most, being deprived of opportunities to develop their skills and having limited employment prospects in an economy struggling to keep afloat. Jaffna Commander of the Security Forces Maj. Gen. GA Chandrasiri declared his intention to help address some of these problems by organising an industrial and educational exhibition later this month, with the support of the Peace Secretariat.

The event will take place from December 27th to 29th.
The Future Minds of Jaffna

The Security Forces have dubbed the initiative ‘The Future Minds of Jaffna’. Children and youth will be the main focus, although the event will reach out to all Jaffna people.

The objectives are as follows:

1. To provide an opportunity for Jaffna schoolchildren to exhibit their talents in various fields, including science, art, culture and literature.Jaffna Exhibition Logo
2. To provide an opportunity for Jaffna school leavers and unemployed youth to learn about the latest trends and employment prospects.
3. To expose Jaffna youth to new trends in the IT and telecoms fields.
4. To expose Jaffna farmers and fishermen to the latest technology to help them obtain a better yield from their work.
5. To provide an opportunity for Jaffna entrepreneurs to exhibit their products and find new markets.

Leading businesses in Colombo have offered their full support to the initiative of the Security Forces in aid of the people of Jaffna. Many of them have offered to sponsor various parts of the event as well as participating in it themselves.

North Star Competition
The Security Forces have already launched preparations for another event that will take place alongside the industrial and educational exhibition. They are organising a competition to select the best singer in the Jaffna peninsular – the ‘North Star’. Preliminary rounds are now underway in 15 AGA divisions, and the finals will take place at the Jaffna Central College grounds on December 29th. The Security Forces are expecting to give cash prizes of Rs. 25,000 each and a Maruti 800 car.

There will also be a carnival and musical show. Jaffna audiences will once again be able to witness a live show, with ‘Seeduwa Sakura’, the Sri Lanka Army Band No. 1 and a number of local groups performing on an open stage. Leading Tamil singers from both Colombo and Jaffna will treat the audience to both classical and rock music. Carnival rides such as the ‘Merry go Round’, ‘Stunt Riders in Death Well’, ‘Jets’ and ‘Happy Train’ will also be set up for the benefit of the Jaffna children.

The Security Forces have previously organised a number of very successful events in Jaffna, including the 'Trade Fair' of April 2008 and the 'Reawakening Jaffna Musical Show' of May 2008. As Jaffna becomes more peaceful with every day that passes, so new opportunities come up for the people to fulfil their needs and work towards the return of the properity and glory of past years.