“Let us hope that this land will hear the voices of children singing once more …” – CBK
[March 30, 2002 - 8.00 GMT]

President Chandrika Kumaratunga once again voiced her hope that the ongoing peace process will provide a solution to the prevailing problems in the country and contribute to the welfare of all children. The President on Wednesday opened the Head Office of the National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) in the outskirts of Colombo. The President said the Presidential Task Force on Child Welfare had made extensive studies and set in motion the NCPA. She thanked the Government of the United Kingdom and the British High Commissioner for funding the project. The President then went on to quote a Latin American Poet: 

Say No to PEACE

If what they mean by 'peace'
is the quiet misery of hunger,
the frozen stillness of fear,
the silence of broken spirits,
the unborn hopes of the oppressed.

Tell them that PEACE
is the shouting of children at play,
the babble of tongues set free,
the thunder of dancing feet,
and a father's voice singing.

She added that the next axis of the project would be the establishment of protection systems for children in this country.

NCPA Chairman Prof. Harendra De Silva thanked the President for releasing the land for the project and the British Government for funding it. 

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Last Updated Date: March 30, 2002  - 8.00 GMT.