MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Thriving Falklands.

Under the headline “Thriving Falklands”, the British newspaper Daily Mail, carries a report by Falklands Government Representative Sukey Cameron declaring: “The Falkland Islands is no longer a dependent colony, but a dynamic overseas territory of the United Kingdom”.

The report is illustrated with a picture of General Galtieri with a caption saying: "His invasion changed the islands for ever".

Replying to a Daily Mail query about the growing population of the Islands, Sukey Cameron describes how the introduction of the fisheries conservation and management zone in 1986 now generates fishing licence revenue of around 26-million pounds a year.

"This has enabled the Islands to invest further, build strong reserves and lay plans for the future". Miss Cameron writes: "The tourism industry is an important growth area, too, as more visitors come to enjoy our open spaces and appreciate our abundant wildlife -- especially the penguins.

"The islands are virtually crime-free, unspoiled and uncrowded. There are real opportunities that didn't exist before 1982. Most important young people now see their future there, after first gaining experience overseas".

The report says that since 1982 the population has risen from 1,800 to nearly 2,400 and is still growing. "It is also a young population with around 80 per cent aged 55 or under , and 23 per cent of this group - 438 - fifteen years or younger.

The report explains that after the conflict the British Government took action on the recommendations of Lord Shackleton to help the islands recover. These covered communications and construction, improvements to health and education, and development in agriculture, fisheries and tourism.

Harold Briley, London

Categories: Falkland Islands.

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