We are pleased to hear from Your Excellency that you are working on a reconciliation process and achieve a lasting peace. Your Excellency does not want any foreign intervention or any direction from any international body. You are determined to solve our burning problems. This gives us a lot of consolation, said Mr. Kandiah Neelakandan, Secretary – Hindu Educational Society, at the Diamond Jubilee celebrations of Colombo Hindu College, where President Mahinda Rajapaksa was the Chief Guest.

Mr. Neelakandan said: “Your Excellency, what happened in July 1983 during the term of the first Executive President, has unfortunately created all the problems of the day. I was one of those who survived due to the Grace of His Almighty. I traveled from Hulftsdorp to Wellawatte witnessing all those unfortunate scenes – thanks to my 3 good friends – one Muslim, and 2 Sinhala – who escorted me.

“Those memories bring my mind to what I witnessed in this same soil – the same ground in the days to follow. My relatives and friends were here as refugees. This place was a refugee camp. No one can forgive that first Executive President for those sins. Today we have Your Excellency here, on the same ground, as the current Executive President. I welcome you with full of hopes and expectations.

“Your Excellency, this soil – this same school ground – accepted those people who came running from their homes realizing that there was no government to protect them in 1983. Today, Your Excellency is on this same soil – on the same ground with us – and we look forward to have a new chapter in history opened as Your Excellency opened a new arcade for this Temple of Learning

Your Excellency is aware how Jaffna students got frustrated because of injustice done in University admissions, and burning of Temple of Learning – Public Library of Jaffna. The rest is history. Of course you never condoned those unfortunate acts. If not for the foresight of the founders of this school, the Hindu youth in Colombo also would have got frustrated.

We wanted you as the Head of the country to come here and unveil the new Arcade opened to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee. Your Excellency our fervent hope is that Your Excellency will open another new chapter in the history of this country when all the people, irrespective of race, religion and language can peacefully live with dignity. When we came to invite Your Excellency, you disclosed your thinking. We are pleased to hear from you that Your Excellency is working on a reconciliation process and give peace. Your Excellency does not want any foreign intervention or any direction from any international body. Your Excellency has determined to solve our burning problems. This gives us a lot of consolation. I cannot and should not talk politics at a school function. Yet, I have expressed with all possible constraints and restraints the expectations of my community.

Your Excellency, during the last 2 years as the General Secretary of All Ceylon Hindu Congress, with my brothers and sisters in ACHC and its member associations, gave all the cooperation and assistance to Your Excellency’s government in rehabilitation and relief work. To mention a few, students from IDP camps were helped, Thiruketheeswaram Temple area was restructured, Hindu Priests, Elders and students were released. We will continue to help Your Excellency’s government. There are more people to be released – more relief assistance is necessary. Of course, these should be expedited.

I referred to the frustration of youth. ACHC was one of those first suggest establishment of Engineering Faculty in Jaffna University. It was a matter of consolation to see in your election manifesto that you included that proposal immediately. We appeal to Your Excellency to expedite establishing an Engineering Faculty in Jaffna University early. This will go a long way to assist the Jaffna community to raise its standards.

Your Excellency, as I said earlier, all of us are treating this Temple of Learning – although it is a government school – as our asset which is nurtured by us in good times and bad times. We expect more support from the government to this school. I am constrained to recollect with what difficulties in 1991 we got this school declared a National School – thanks to Mrs R.M. Pulendran who was then the State Minister of Education. Who fought on our behalf and got the National School status. Even now it is difficulty for our school to get what is due from the government authorities and expect the government to give us more help. Senior Prefects of this school made an appeal. Our children do not have all the facilities although it is a National School. I also appeal to Your Excellency and the Hon. Minister to consider establishing a swimming pool and make them happy with that present on this Diamond Jubilee. Just now Mrs. C. Maheswaran, Member of Parliament for Jaffna, who had joined us on this stage, reminds me of the assurance given by Your Excellency’s government to her late husband, to establish another Hindu School. She will be handing over a memorandum on this matter in a few minutes to Your Excellency. We also hope that another Hindu School be established in Wellawatte.

In conclusion Your Excellency, it is my bounden duty not only as the Secretary of the Society, but also as a parent of my two sons who are products of this school to record our appreciation of services rendered by the Principal and teachers - past and present. They live in Colombo with various difficulties. Despite that they render yeoman services.