"Today under the guidance of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe the country enjoys a tremendous international support and our peace process is being backed by the international community," Minister Jayasuriya said.

Jayasuriya attributed the success of the late Minister Gamini Dissanayaka to his excellent teamwork. "The service the late minister rendered to the nation through the accelerated Mahaweli Development Programme cannot be estimated, he worked shoulder to shoulder with the late President J. R. Jayewardene to develop the country in every sphere from sports to economy, he was an active supporter in President Jayewardene's endeavour to resolve the decades long ethnic conflict".

"Today, had the Minister Dissanayaka lived to see the achievement the country has made under the prudent leadership and the guidance of Prime Minister Wickremesinghe, he would have been proud of his country", Jayasuriya added.

The government is now in the process of introducing modern technology to the Mahaweli and to the plantation sector which has been a dream of the late minister. "We are realising the dreams of the peace offered to the nation, we have a recorded income from the plantation and tourism sectors," the Minister observed.

Irrigation and Water Management Minister, Gamini Jayawickrama Perera said the Thispane Road, which ran across the Gamini Dissanayaka reservoir which had been closed for past 20 years due to security reasons was opened to the public since last Friday.

Today the Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe consented to open it for the public, from 6.00 am to 6.00 pm daily as we no longer have any security fears. These are the fruits we reap from the peace process", the Minister said.

The Minister was of the view the most substantial benefit of the peace process was that today after 22 years, Sri Lanka was self-sufficient in rice, as the harvest from North and East, especially in East had increased significantly as a result of the peace. "Government had introduced several taxes to protect the farmers and to discourage rice importers".

Deputy Minister of Plantation Navin Dissanayaka thanked the Prime Minister for renaming Kotmale reservoir as 'Gamini Dissanayaka reservoir' and paying tribute to the late leader of people.