By Xinhua,
Colombo : People in Sri Lankan capital Colombo Tuesday expressed mixed feelings over the forthcoming 15th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Summit.
The 15th SAARC Summit, which will be attended by heads of state or government of eight member countries in South Asia and delegations from seven countries and regions, will be held here on Aug. 2-3 amid tight security.
“I have heard about the SAARC Summit because signs with photos of leaders from SAARC countries are displayed nearly everywhere in Colombo,” Nishan Jamion, a 24-year-old salesman in a main shop in Colombo said.
He confessed that he knew little about SAARC. “But the summit will attract more foreigners here and it means more business opportunities,” he said.
The Sri Lankan government has done a lot in preparations for the top-level meeting in the region.
New roads were built, old ones upgraded and shabby buildings demolished to make the city look more beautiful, Nishan Jamion said.
However, S. Fernando, a retired doctor was concerned about the aftermath of the summit. “A huge amount of money has been spent to hold the summit despite the fact the economy is suffering from inflation,” he said.
“Judging from the past experiences of SAARC summit, I am not hopeful of good results of the 15th summit,” commented Fernando.
Foolproof security measures are in place to provide protection to the participants of the summit in Colombo. Security personnel can be sighted every five meters on the main roads on Tuesday.
Local media reports said that a total of 12,000 police, together with army, navy and air force soldiers would be deployed in the city during period of the meetings.
“The summit creates many problems and brings inconvenience to people in the city, ” a university teacher, who asked not to be named, said.
She said her students did not show up in class because some roads were blocked.
“There will definitely be some problems for people in the city but the summit will benefit them in the long run,” Turin, a non-government organization employee said.
The SAARC member countries have potentials and the summit can work out a way to enhance bilateral trade, he said, adding that the SAARC could learn from European Union.
The SAARC groups Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. It was established in December 1985 with an aim to promote economic and trade cooperation in the region.
Terrorism, food security, energy and other issues will be the agenda at the forthcoming SAARC summit.