Language barrier cause for North and South divide - Minister

The language barrier had contributed towards the widening divide between the North and South, Social Services and Social Welfare Minister Douglas Devananda said.

The Minister said that it was his view that a language policy was needed where the Sinhalese had to learn Tamil and Tamils learn Sinhala.

Devananda who met students from Jaffna who had come to participate at the National Sports Competition 2008 at Isipathanaramaya, Colombo on Thursday, told journalists that the lack of democracy in the North-East Provinces was one of the causes for the continuation of the ethnic problem.

The President having discerned the fact that the problems of the Tamil speaking people were quite far apart from those of the Tiger leadership, had resorted to bring about solutions accordingly. Inviting students from Jaffna schools to participate in the All Island Sports Festival could deemed to be considered as a step in his line of thinking, he said.

The Minister pointed out that Sinhala and Tamil political leaders in the past had turned a blind eye to the language barrier for them to gain political mileage.

Through efforts taken by the President to redeem Tamil speaking people from the terrorists' grip and establish democracy, schools destroyed by the conflict in Vanni were also needed to be renovated and developed along with educational and sports activities, Devananda said.

The Minister said he had made arrangements to get down students who had obtained first place in the Jaffna District Provincial Sports Meets to Colombo to participate at the All Island Sports Festival to enhance their abilities.

As these students had never seen a train, the Minister had made arrangements to bring them down to Colombo by train from Vavuniya.

Ven. Kehembiye Vijitha Thera, Chief Incumbent of the Isipathanaramaya also participated.