Year of fresh hopes - PM

Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayaka in a Sinhala and Tamil New Year message has expressed the hope that the public will celebrate this festival in an unprecedented manner with the dawn of peace with the total elimination of terrorism from Sri Lanka.

“Sri Lankans enjoy this pleasant moment thanks to the selfless service of our heroic soldiers. War heroes’ parents celebrating this festival without experiencing the agony which they had earlier is another significant feature of this New Year,” he stated in the message.

The message: People trapped in the so-called border villages are also able to celebrate this new year with fresh hopes. Everybody irrespective of whether North or South can look forward to the dawn of a new era very soon.

“Fertile lands in the East which went into ruins due to terrorist activities in the past have begun to produce an abundant harvest now, thus heralding a prosperous Sri Lanka in the future.

“I wish this New Year a happy and prosperous one for all Lankans.”