President condemns cowardly assassination

COLOMBO: President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday emphatically and unequivocally condemned the cowardly assassination of Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle by LTTE terrorists.

The President in a message said: "I emphatically and unequivocally condemn the cowardly assassination of Jeyaraj Fernandopulle, Minister of Highways and Road Construction and Chief Government Whip, by LTTE terrorists.

Our thoughts first go to Fernandopulle's family and to the families of all others who were also killed and injured in this act of savagery, whose grief we share with them. Minister Fernandopulle was a popular representative of the people, elected by the voters of Gampaha District at several elections.

The assassination of such a committed democrat once again shows the total contempt of the LTTE to the democratic process and its unquestioned commitment to violence and terror to achieve it narrow and limited objectives, that are far removed from the interests of the Tamil people of Sri Lanka.

It is also significant that in carrying this repeated act of terrorist brutality the LTTE has chosen as its target a leader of the Catholic and Christian communities of Sri Lanka, who played an important role in bringing about greater understanding among the different communities of our country.

While calling on the people to be calm and collected in the face of such extreme provocation by the forces of terror, I wish to reiterate that this dastardly act will not weaken our resolve to eradicate terrorism from our midst and bring peace, harmony and democracy to all our people, which was also the constant and unqualified wish of Mr. Fernandopulle."