China wants ethnic harmony; CM calls for less troops in North

Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka Yi Xianliang said his country would provide its complete support to the implementation of a new Constitution for Sri Lanka. He was speaking after meeting with Northern Province Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran in Jaffna yesterday. 

Meanwhile, Northern Province Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran warned failure to recognize the rights of Tamils in Sri Lanka could lead to serious problems for the country.

Speaking to the media after the meeting, the CM also stated that the Chinese ambassador had stressed that it was his Government's desire to see Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims living in harmony in one country. "I told him that it can happen in a country where everyone recognizes the rights of others. Unfortunately, this is not the case at present. There are still 150,000 army personnel in the Northern province. We are asking that their numbers be reduced gradually and be replaced with any number of police officers. I explained to the ambassador that it was wrong that this was not being done and for the troop numbers to be kept at the same level that was in existence during the war."

Story and Pix by Romesh Madhusanka

 

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