President will protect rights of all Lankans without discrimination - Presidential Advisor

CHENNAI: President Mahinda Rajapaksa has always pledged to uphold the dignity, social and political status of the Tamils in the island. He has always stressed the fact that he was elected as President by Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims and other ethnic groups.

He is therefore, committed to serve all communities without discriminating anyone of them, Advisor to the President, Media Ombudsman and former Minister A.H.M. Azwer, said.

He was addressing the Eighth World Islamic Tamil Conference held in Chennai. The Conference was presided over by Kaviko Abdur Rahman.

Speaking at the session to honour scientists of Tamil Nadu, Azwer said the President is taking every effort to protect the rights of the Tamils and the Muslims.

He has distinctly identified between the problems of the ordinary Tamil citizens loyal and law abiding, as that of terrorism.

The President has pledged to restore the democratic way of life in Jaffna and bring back normality in the area so that the people of Jaffna could derive benefits that his Government is keen to provide. He has even assured the sports loving youth of Jaffna to build a modern sports complex so that talent that is in abundance in the Northern region could be harnessed to build a healthy nation and also help the Jaffna sportsmen and sportswomen to compete with their counterparts in the South.

Dispelling erroneous and biased propaganda in certain parts of India, Azwer said sufficient food, medical and educational facilities are being provided to the people of Jaffna, although there were certain impediments dispatching food and other essential items to the North.

The Government is very keen that a peaceful environment would be created soon so that A-9 road to the North be opened facilitating these items to the North unhindered via road transport.

Azwer said steady progress is made by the President to provide educational facilities both to the Tamils and Muslims in the North and East. Recently, he said, over 3700 teaching appointments were given to the people of Indian origin - the upcountry Tamils, at a function held at Temple Trees. 600 appointments were also given to the Muslims in those areas.

It should be noted that in a rare move the President has created a separate Ministry to look after the interests of the displaced persons the majority of whom have been moved out of Jaffna and Mannar providing them with ample school buildings and teachers to educate the children of the unfortunate victims, the large majority of whom are Muslims from the North.

The President has even taken care of the displaced Sri Lankan children, who are in the refugee camps in Tamil Nadu by conducting the O/L examination for them. This is the first time that a country has conducted an examination for the children of its citizenry in a foreign clime by sending text books and teachers to Tamil Nadu with the help of the Deputy High Commissioner and his staff in Chennai.

The three-day Conference was opened by Minister of Finance of Tamil Nadu Prof. K. Ambazhagan, at the famous Kalaivanar Auditorium, and several sessions were held at the New College, Chennai.