Sri Lanka's President fails to fulfill Jaffna expectations, "go home" tell students

[TamilNet, Sunday, 10 January 2010, 13:15 GMT]
Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapakse who arrived in Jaffna Sunday on his re-election campaign failed to make any important announcement in matters regarding youths gone missing after arrest, the immediate resettlement of IDPs in Sri Lanka Army (SLA) High Security Zones (HSZs), and a solution to the ethnic issue, sources in Jaffna said. Government supporters in Jaffna and political leaders from the South had informed the local media that Mahinda Rajapakse will announce positive decisions in these pressing issues, but the speech delivered at Jaffna Duraippah Stadium Sunday side-stepped all issues of immediate interest to the people in Jaffna. At Aa’riyaku’lam Rajapakse was angered when protesting students shouted that they will never vote for him besides shouting "go home", journalists who covered the visit said.



All the people in Sri Lanka should live with equal rights was the only theme that kept recurring in his speech.

Jaffna SLA Commander received Mahinda Rajapakse at Palaali airport, and Mr Rajapakse proceeded to the Buddhist temple Naga Vihara in Aa’riyaku’lam in Jaffna to worship.

Mr. Rajapakse visited Nalloor Murukan temple where he worshipped and then left to Jaffna Bishop’s House where he met Jaffna Bishop, Rt. Rev. Thomas Saundranayagam, Father Justin Gnanapragasam and the Bishop’s assistant.

Jaffna Public Library was his next place of visit where he toured the library building complex.

Mr. Rajapakse then spoke at the public meeting in Duraippah Stadium to which around 2000 people atttended on invitation from Minister Douglas Devananda. Majority of the people attending the event were unemployed graduates, other unemployed job seekers, and recipients of relief help from the government.

Jaffna Mayor Ms. Yogeswari Patkunam was also present at the meeting.

Basil Rajapalse, on his last visit to Jaffna had said that his brother Mahinda Rajapakse will make some positive decisions on the issue of resettling the families evacuated by SLA for establishing of HZS in Jaffna peninsula, when he comes to Jaffna.

Mahinda Rajapakse, instead, spoke of the need to improve the standard of education in Jaffna peninsula and the proposed new engineering faculty in Jaffna University.

He stressed that action is being taken to enable the people of Sri Lanka to live with equal rights, the sources said.