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Saturday, May 02, 2009 - 10.35 GMT |
“Commitment to free my people remain”
–
President to Akashi |
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President Mahinda Rajapaksa told the
visiting Special Envoy from Japan, Yasushi
Akashi, that he was firm in his own
commitment and that of his government to
free the Sri Lankan Tamil citizens who
remained being held as hostages by the LTTE.
At a breakfast meeting at Janadhipathi
Mandiraya today (May 02), there was a wide
ranging discussion of the humanitarian
situation in the North, especially regarding
the continuing presence of Tamil civilians
held as hostages by the LTTE in the No Fire
Zone, and the many thousands of civilians
who had escaped from the LTTE to the cleared
areas the government.
The President also stressed the need to
defeat the LTTE and its leader Prabhakaran
and bring terrorism to an end in the
country.
The arrangements made for these IDPs who had
already come over were discussed, with Mr.
Akashi appreciating the measures taken by
the government to provide food, shelter,
medicines and other essentials under trying
circumstances due to the sudden influx of
such a large number of people.
President Rajapaksa reiterated the
government’s duty to free the Tamil
civilians, all of them Si Lanka citizens,
still being held by the LTTE, and said he
would carry out this responsibility on
behalf of these people.
He welcomed assistance from friendly
countries that appreciated the need to
eradicate terrorism from Sri Lanka, for
infrastructure development and other such
needs to resettle these people, which he
said would be done in the shortest possible
time. Among the constraints on speedy
resettlement was the need for the clearing
of mines laid by the LTTE, and the provision
of resettlement facilities in keeping with
international standards.
The Japanese envoy assured the President of
his country’s assistance in this regard.
Mr. Akashi, a senior Japanese diplomat,
began his visits here as the representative
of he Tokyo Co-Chairs of the Peace Process
established after the Cease Fire with the
LTTE was signed in February 2002. He has
paid several visits to Sri Lanka since then.
The Government abrogated the ceasefire
agreement in January 2008, after repeated
and horrendous violations by LTTE.
More recently, Norway, one of the Co-chairs,
was told by Sri Lanka that its role as
facilitator of the peace process was not
necessary, after pro-LTTE groups attacked
the Sri Lanka Embassy in Oslo last month,
with no protection provided to the embassy
by the Norwegian authorities.
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