We will go ahead despite obstacles, says President

By Gamini Mahadura

The Government which has started development activities with the support of the public would go ahead despite all obstacles, while terrorism would be wiped out and the citizens in the North would be saved from it just as the citizens in the East were saved, President Mahinda Rajapaksa said.

Addressing a meeting which was the third in the series of ‘Ratata Hetak’ district meetings held at the Samanala stadium in Galle on Friday, President Rajapaksa said he was fulfilling the duty the people had placed on his shoulders. He said the large number of monks and the people who had gathered for the meeting were proof that the Government had succeeded in doing its duty.

“We are a party that stands for peace. That is why we did not take any action when for a long time the LTTE was attacking us killing unarmed soldiers and men, women and children in Kebitigollewa. But when the Army Commander was attacked and the LTTE tried to capture Mavilaru we launched a humanitarian mission and following through, we finally captured Toppigala,” he said.

“We have answered Prabhakaran clear enough and when we are hurting Prabhakaran, some of the leaders in the South too had started to feel Prabhakaran’s pain,” the President said. The President said the Government did not stop any development projects making war an excuse. “We have not stopped development projects simply because we are having a war.

Various development projects are going on in the country. The projects to implement power projects at Norochcholai and Kotmale have been started and without further delay the Galle harbour development project too would be start next year,” he said.

“When we ask for foreign aid to carry out the projects the LTTE protests asking the World Bank and international institutions not to give us aid,” the President said adding that there were some leaders in the South who too were of the same mind and try to prevent the Government from getting foreign aid.

“I ask them to love the country and not nurture jealous politics”, he said. UPFA General Secretary Minister Maithripala Sirisena said there would not be an election until 2010 despite brickbats from the UNP. “We are aware there are problems in the country,” he said.

He told the JVP MPs not to follow the wrong path and fall into trouble.“Would they ever be able to forget what the UNP did to them in recent history?” he asked.