Northern people free of Prabhakaran's tyranny - President

The period where people of the North were under the tyranny of blood thirsty Prabhakaran was now over and our war heroes would not have sacrificed so many lives in wiping out terrorism if some of our own leaders did not strengthen the LTTE indirectly said President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

The President said this at a meeting attended by students and officials of vocational training centres under the purview of the Vocational and Technical Training Ministry held at Temple Trees.

The President said while the Opposition Leader was counting his fingers and waiting for a useless debate with him in a five-star hotel he (the President) was engaged in brass tacks attending to the needs of the innocent people fleeing terrorist clutches.

This itself enabled the people to feel the difference between the Government and the Opposition.

The President who noted the vital contribution youth in the Vocational and Technical Training sector could make in winning the development war launched in the country said there was a great demand for technical sector jobs here and abroad.

He said Libya has promised to provide 100,000 job opportunities for Sri Lankans this year.

The President who said that certain interested parties were globe trotting to block foreign aid flowing into the country added that their action was tantamount to a betrayal of the nation.

Noting that the Government had done its best to develop the Education, Health and other sectors said International agencies extended loan facilities to our country because we had the capability to repay those loans.

The President said people would become shareholders of the battle to save the nation by endorsing the Government's program of work at the forthcoming elections.

The Government which ended the war in three years would also accomplish the development war within a short period, the President emphasised.

Ministers Piyasena Gamage, Dullas Alahapperuma and Dilan Perera were among those present.