Rajapakse makes campaign trip to Jaffna

[TamilNet, Friday, 04 November 2005, 23:05 GMT]
"No one can wage a war and divide this country, and I don't intend to start a war," said Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse, the Sri Lankan Prime Minister and presidential candidate during his visit to Jaffna Friday speaking at a meeting in Nadeswara College building located in the High Security Zone (HSZ) in Kankesanthurai in Jaffna.

The lankan premier visited the HSZ areas around Palaly military base in Jaffna. He was accompanied by the leader of Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP) and a minister of his cabinet, Mr. Douglas Devananda, and Deputy Minister Sripathy Suriryaarachchi.

The Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) aircraft carrying Prime Minister Rajapakse landed at the Palaly airport at 8.25 am on Friday.

Speaking to a limited audience brought by the EPDP in a few buses to Nadeswara College building in Kankesanthurai, he said that his country is not faced with one war but several wars.

He said there is a war being waged to bring about unity to the country. There is also a war to uplift the living conditions of the people and another one to provide better education to the children of Sri Lanka.

Rajapakse visited the Kankesanthurai harbour and the Naval base there. He also attended a pooja at the Mavittapuram Kanthaswamy temple.

Later he addressed Jaffna residents over the broadcasting service operated from Palaly said that he would create peace in the country and pave way for the people displaced from HSZs in the north to settle back in their own places.

The visit of Rajapakse to the north was restricted within Palaly HSZ due to security reason, source said.

When Rajapaksha visited Jaffna following the Boxing Day in December 2004, accompanied by JVP's powerful propaganda secretary Mr. Wimal Weerawansa, irate Tsunami refugees blocked his entourage at the Tsunami destroyed village of Manalkaadu on Jaffna's southern coast and the Sri Lankan forces were forced to airlift him to the SLA's main garrison in Jaffna as a result.

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