Keangnam Enterprises Leads Korean Firms in Tsunami Aid for South Asian Country


Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister, Mahinda Rajapaksa, made his first official trip to Korea this week. He is in town ostensibly to attend the 6th Global Forum on Reinventing Government held at COEX in southern Seoul, where he expressed keen interest in Korea’s dynamic economy and spirit of innovation by attending several sessions regarding this country.
Asked for his impression of the country at the closing ceremony yesterday, the pime minister replied, ``fantastic.’’ He went on to add that ``the country has developed, the technology has developed, the Korean people have done a truly wonderful job to make this a great nation.’’


Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, right, shakes hands with Prime Minister Lee Hae-chan at the Central Government Complex in Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap


Prime Minister Rajapaksa helped close the forum by giving a closing address to a packed auditorium at COEX. In his speech, he thanked the Korean people for ``the warmth with which you have received us.’’ He also underscored the importance of the main theme of the conference, participatory and transparent governance.

``We have to reinvent government,’’ he said. ``Democracy must not remain an empty slogan. It must be made a living reality in the day-to-day business of governance.’’

A Man of the People


Prime Minister Rajapaksa has dedicated his life to public service in his country, having been elected to the Sri Lankan Parliament for the first time in 1970 at the tender age of 24. His family’s service runs even longer, with his father, D.A. Rajapaksa, having represented the constituency of Beliatta in the Sri Lankan Parliament from 1947 to 1965.

Prime Minister Rajapaksa followed in his father’s footsteps by representing the same seat. After serving as a parliamentarian and as a member of the Sri Lankan Cabinet in several posts, Rajapaksa was elected prime minister in 2004.

But he has always maintained his connections to the grass roots. Prior to being elected in 1970, the prime minister had been a practicing lawyer. Even while in office, he has never given up his practice and continues to work hard by championing the human rights of workers and ordinary Sri Lankans. He is well regarded by laborers in his country.

Over the years, he has also taken a special interest in the welfare of his country’s youth, working diligently to develop programs devoted to reducing youth unemployment. His tremendous work on behalf of his people was honored by Vishva Gharathi University in Calcutta India, which has bestowed upon him the status of professor emeritus.

Grateful for Korean Disaster Relief

The other purpose for his visit this week was to express his country’s gratitude to Korea for its help during the tsunami disaster last December.

In his meetings with President Roh and Prime Minister Lee, the prime minister expressed his gratitude for Korea’s timely aid during the tsunami crisis. In the aftermath of the Dec. 26 earthquake and tsunami, Sri Lanka was one of the countries most adversely affected with a death toll of over 30,000 and 440,000 left homeless amid the catastrophic destruction.

Relief support from Korea came from both public and private sources. Among the first nations to arrive in Sri Lanka was the ROK Air Force, which airlifted some 6 tons of pharmaceuticals and sterilizers into the region on Jan. 1. The Korean Center for Disease Control and Prevention also assisted by dispatching a team to Sri Lanka on the same day to help prevent outbreaks of infectious diseases, such as cholera an typhoid. In total, the Korean government has pledged over $60 million in aid.

Private sources were headlined by individuals and Korean corporations, such as Keangnam Enterprises, who has a long relationship with the Sri Lankan developing construction projects in the country. In addition to a monetary contribution of $50,000 in relief funds, the company was one of the key actors on the ground providing relief. Because it was already operating in the country, workers were able to rapidly deploy much needed heavy equipment, such as excavators, dump trucks and emergency generator kits, to the areas of the country that required immediate assistance.

Bilateral Economic Development

Perhaps the most important purpose for the prime minister’s visit is to strengthen the two countries’ already long history of close cultural and economic ties.

To that end, in addition to attending the conference and networking with other participants, Prime Minister Rajapaksa held separate bilateral meetings with President Roh Moo-hyun and Prime Minister Lee Hae-chan.

Korea has contributed significant amounts of overseas development assistance to Sri Lanka. Since the late 1970s, over $160 million has flowed into the country courtesy of Korea’s Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF).

Companies like Keangnam industries have worked hard to leverage that money into even larger projects and, in the process, helped Sri Lankans to develop their country. Keangnam made its first foray into the Sri Lankan market in 1978, when it was commissioned to develop the Seeduwa housing project. Since then, it has helped to develop large projects in such diverse areas as roads, telecommunications, power transmission and housing.

The company, which boasts an ISO 9001Certification, is currently working hard to secure an additional $30 million from the EDCF to begin work on a water supply project for the Galle region and a project to help Sri Lanka innovate capacity to provide government services over the Internet. Just last March, Keangnam proposed two new development projects, a New Town Development project in the southern province and a road improvement effort between Colombo and Gale.

In total, Keangnam has concluded $474 million in contracts with Sri Lanka.

mike_weisbart@hotmail.com