President asks International Organisations to urge LTTE:

'Give hostages one hour freedom'

L. S. Ananda Wedaarachchi

power cuts are being imposed but there are no power cuts in our country

"I would like to ask the national and international organizations that were urging us to stop the humanitarian military operations to request the LTTE to give the civilians who were being held as hostages for the past 30 years one hour's freedom to go wherever they like," President Mahinda Rajapaksa said on Saturday.

"If such a freedom was given to the Tamil civilians held back by the LTTE no one could prevent them coming of their own free will to the government administered areas," the President said addressing a group of indigenous physicians and farmer association representatives at Temple Trees.

The President said the war was used as a beggar's wound for several years but this Government defeated the terrorists within three years. "However we did not neglect mega-development projects. In some countries in our region, power cuts are being imposed but there are no power cuts in our country," President Rajapaksa said.

"New mega-power generation projects like Norochcholai, Kerawalapitiya and Upper Kotmale were started to provide relief to the public. While leading industrialized nations like the USA and UK were reeling under the world economic recession our country did not face such problems as the Government was able to manage the national economy with foresight.

We saw the food crisis brewing long before it occured and we started the agricultural program Api Vavamu Rata Nagamu to stave off the problem. We are self-sufficient in rice due to that program," the President said.

"The East was not only liberated from the terrorists but we started the development program Negenahira Navodaya with US$ One million investment to rehabilitate the province through the development of infrastructure, such as roads, bridges, schools and houses thus making the Eastern Province a reawakened region," the President said.

"The IMF loan was being obtained for the country's development and international organizations would not give loans if the credibility of the Government was weak. When the Government negotiated US$ 500 million from the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank it was prepared to lend up to US$ 1,500 million as the Government's credibility was not in question. But some among the Opposition who are jealous of our achievements were trying to sabotage our efforts," President Rajapaksa said.

He said the people of the Western Province should give the message to the world that the Government's policy and implementation were proper and salutary.