East fully liberated from LTTE - Foreign Minister

Mahanama Galahitiyawa Kandy North Special Corr.

KANDY: The Eastern Province has been fully liberated from LTTE influence and anyone is now free to travel in Trincomalee, Ampara and Batticaloa districts without fear, Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama said.

Bogollagama said this when he called on the Most Ven. Tibbotuwawe Sri Siddhartha Sumangala Mahanayake Thera of the Malwatte at the Malwatte Viharaya in Kandy Chapter and received his blessings on Saturday. Earlier the Minister visited the Sri Dalada Maligawa and paid homage.

Bogollagama said that all embassies would also be informed about this situation soon and that embassy staff need not seek security clearance to visit their areas in future.

Bogollagama said the credit for liberating the East should go to the President, Defence Secretary and the Security Forces personnel headed by the forces chiefs. Referring to the SLFP devolution proposals Bogollagama said they were based on a democratic framework involving the Grama Rajya concept.

The SLFP proposals were not final but open for debate. He expressed the hope that UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe would make a favourable response to these proposals after studying them. The Most Ven. Tibbotuwawe Sri Siddhartha Sumangala Mahanayake Thera said he highly appreciated the liberation of the Eastern Province.

He said steps should be taken to liberate other areas as well from terrorist clutches. He said the Provincial Council system introduced as a solution to the ethnic problem is today in a total mess. Certain critics feared that the new proposals would create a similar situation.

Foreign Affairs Ministry Additional Secretary Karunatilleke Amunugama accompanied the Minister.