President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday said his government would never let the mafia or terrorism to raise their ugly heads in any part of Sri Lanka, vowing to eradicate the root causes for mistrust and misunderstanding thus wiping out divisions among all communities on religious, ethnic or caste grounds. Addressing the National Thaipongal ceremony at the Duraiappah Stadium in Jaffna, President Rajapaksa said the people especially those in the north had suffered enough and it was time for them to live in peace and harmony as partners of progress like any other citizen.
“You have suffered for 30 years from terrorism. You took the brunt of terrorism. You and your children did not have a life or could not think of a future for your children duringn that time. Now it is your turn to create a future for yourself and for your children as the government is backing you. The era that divided people on ethnic, religious or caste basis has gone forever,” President Rajapaksa said.
“The government is spending billions of rupees to develop the north. New roads, bridges, railway lines, school and hospitals are coming up in all parts of the north under the ‘Northern Spring’ programme. There are more development projects to be implemented in the north than what are already in place. The government is doing all this to ensure a bright and peaceful future for the young generation of the north. Some of the development projects have been already completed and many are still to be completed,” he said.
The Sangupiddy Bridge constructed at a cost of Rs. 400 million and opened on Saturday is another milestone of the development drive carried out by the government in the north. Apart from the development projects that have been already launched, the government spends a huge amount of funds to develop health, education and infrastructure and to restore civil administration fully in the north that had been neglected during the ethnic conflict. The challenge at hand now is to win the war against poverty and mistrust and achieve durable peace and sustainable development, President Rajapaksa emphasized.
President Rajapaksa also participated in religious ceremonies at the Nagadeepa Buddhist Temple and Nallur Kandasami Kovil yesterday during his visit to the North.
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