Sri Lanka to Be Regional Air, Ocean Traffic Hub

Jan. 1 (Bloomberg) -- Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa issued a New Year’s message pledging to develop the country into a regional hub for ocean and air traffic and a knowledge-based society.

After defeating the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and ending the civil war, the government will be “even more focused on diverting our energies to development,” Rajapaksa said in a statement today.

“We shall build on the foundation already laid in the construction of harbors, airports, extensive road networks and the marked increase in IT literacy in Sri Lanka,” he said.

Rajapaksa’s government has vowed to reunite the country after ending the LTTE’s fight for a separate Tamil homeland in the north and east of the island nation. The end to the conflict is boosting agriculture and tourism; the Central Bank forecasts the economy will grow as much as 6 percent in 2010 after expanding 3.5 percent last year.

Rajapaksa has called a presidential election for Jan. 26.