Name boards in Sinhala and Tamil

Name boards in Sinhala and Tamil

Monday, October 01,2007 COLOMBO:

The Transport Ministry has directed all state passenger buses to indicate their destination in both Sinhala and Tamil, in keeping with the National Language Policy. The directive issued by Transport Minister Dullas Alahapperuma to officials of the Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) will also apply other notices displayed on state buses. “In terms of the National Language Policy, all notices and announcements of the Government must be published in both Sinhala and Tamil. However, this is not observed by certain SLTB buses, especially those operating outside the North and the East,” he said. The Minister pointed out the importance of remembering that Tamil is the mother tongue of a part of Sri Lanka’s population who have the right to communicate with the State in their language. “We must respect this right of our Tamil and Muslim brethren. It is unfortunate that we have missed opportunities to earn their confidence through such policies which can be easily implemented,” he added.