Govt. will recapture North says President

President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday said there were people who supported terrorism unknowingly, some supported willfully and there was another section of people who supported terrorism maliciously.

Addressing a People’s Rally which was held after the opening of the newly constructed Fisheries Harbour at Beruwala, President Rajapaksa said the government did not prosecute a war against the Tamils but saved them from the jackboot of the LTTE. The government was determined to face terrorism with resolve and recapture the north as it did in the east, he said.

“These people can open their mouth only to eat. The objective of the armed forces is to give them an opportunity to enjoy the smell of democracy. We are achieving victories one after the other liberating the north from the clutches of the terrorists. When I was coming here this morning, the Army Commander informed me the forces had over-run one of their main strategic locations, the Five-Four-Base yesterday. They had also captured Periyamadu in thise process,” he said.

There were a lot of elements that wanted to delay the forward march of the security forces. They now want a ceasefire. When the ceasefire was in force, the terrorists could regroup and strengthen themselves. Then they attacked us out of the blues. We must learn from the past, President Rajapaksa stressed.

This government has decided to handover a safe country to the next generation. For that, we need to build a trouble and violent free country.

However, the government has already begun many programmes to make Sri Lanka self sufficient on food simultaneously with a series of development projects.

He expressed his gratitude to China for funding the Beruwala Fisheries Harbour Development Project with financial assistance to the tune of Rs. 410 million after the Fisheries Harbour was totally destroyed by the tsunami.

Fisheries Minister, Felix Perera said the government had launched a series of new programmes to enhance the income of fishermen.

The new Beruwala Fisheries Harbour has the facilities to repair 20 multi-day boats at a time which was not so in the past, he said.

Acting Ambassador of China in Sri Lanka, Ji Jan U said China was highly appreciative of Sri Lanka’s ‘One China’ policy.

The two countries have a longstanding friendship based on mutual understanding, co-operation and respect.

The century-old cultural, religious and trade links were further strengthened after the bilateral diplomatic ties were begun in 1957, he said.