Eastern CM urges wide support for development

Rohan Mathes and Asela Kuruluwansa

Kandy: The new Chief Minister of the Eastern Provincial Council Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan (Pillayan) asserted that the East would be developed despite the malicious attempts of certain Tamil politicians to disrupt the development process.

The Chief Minister made this assertion when he called on the Most Venerable Mahanayakes of the Malwatte and Asgiriya chapters to obtain their blessings in Kandy on Saturday.

He pointed out that for petty political gains, certain Tamil politicians were engaged in causing racial disharmony and clashes between the Sinhala and Tamil communities, to disrupt the development process.

"My objective is to develop the war-stricken Eastern region for the uplift and the betterment of its people. This calls for the assistance and the co-operation of all, sans racial or party politics," he sad.

He urged the blessings of the Mahanayake Theras for his development work in the East, saying he would call on them again to notify the progress.

He added that Sinhala, Muslim and Tamil communities all live in the East and his challenge was to establish a mutual understanding and close co-operation between all three communities.

Mahanayake of the Malwatte Chapter Most Venerable Thibbotuwawe Sri Siddhartha Sumangala Thera and Mahanayake of the Asgiriya Chapter Most Venerable Udugama Sri BuddhaRakkhitha Thera also expressed their views. The Chief Minister visited the Sri Dalada Maligawa.

He toured the Maligawa Museum where he saw pictures of the damage caused by the LTTE attack on January 25, 1998.