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Saturday, November 14, 2009 - 16.34 GMT |
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You have
stepped on soil free of terrorism
–
President to Expats |
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If you
have
left the
motherland
seeking
for
freedom,
democracy
and
peace,
Sri
Lanka
now has
all of
these. A
prosperous
nation
is now
built
where
our
future
generation
could
live in
peace
and
harmony,
said
President
Mahinda
Rajapaksa.
He
stated
this
when
expatriate
Sri
Lankans
met the
President
at the
Presidential
Secretariat
today
(14).
President
Rajapaksa
called
on the
expatriates
to
contribute
to the
development
of the
motherland
in which
they
were
born
since
Sri
Lanka is
now free
of
terrorism.
As part
of a
special
programme
towards
achieving
this,
the
first
programme
commenced
where
expatriates
were
invite
to Sri
Lanka to
explore
possible
investment
areas.
Around
500
representatives
from 45
countries
who are
experts,
professionals
and
entrepreneurs
of
various
fields
arrived
in Sri
Lanka.
‘You had
many
reasons
to leave
this
country.
The main
reason
was
terrorism.
But now
terrorism
is
eradicated
from our
nation.
The
Arugambe
Coastal
area
where
previously
terrorists
had
training
camps is
now a
paradise
for
tourists.
It is
open to
the
world’s
best
investors’,
the
President
further
stated.
The era
in which
talented
youngsters
were
used to
guns and
combat,
is now
over.
The
government
has
already
taken
steps to
provide
them
vocational
training
and the
government
is ready
to build
investment
zones in
order
for the
world to
make use
of their
talents.
For
that,
the
contribution
from
expatriates
is
essential,
the
President
stressed.
The ‘Api
Wenuwen
Api’
concept
should
be
applied
to
nation –
building
as well
not only
to
defeat
terrorism.
The
government
always
kept
faith in
local
skills
and
expertise,
he
stated.
The
President
said
that for
many
thousands
of years
Sri
Lankans
lived in
harmony
without
any
ethnic
conflict
but some
elements
are
trying
to
damage
Sri
Lanka’s
image by
spreading
false
information
through
various
web
sites.
All Sri
Lankan
expatriates
should
stand
together
to
counter
such
acts,
stressed
the
President.
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