People should enjoy benefits of development

Minister Devananda tells UN Secretary General:

Social Services and Social Welfare Minister Douglas Devananda and EPDP Secretary General has requested United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon to help support the people of Lanka to lead contented lives enjoying benefits of development and political rights in a peaceful environment devoid of suppression and destruction to life.

The Minister made this special request from the UN Secretary General when the Minister met him at the International Conference for nullifying the racial differences and those emerging due to education and poverty, held in Geneva, Switzerland recently.

Devananda expressing his views said though opportunities arose several times for taking forward steps for resolving the problem concerning the political rights of the Tamil speaking people which at present has become the major problem in Sri Lanka, the Tiger leadership never cared to make use of these opportunities instead proved to be a stumbling block for the progressive measures taken.

Therefore the Tamil speaking people have been continuing to be suppressed and their lives being gradually pushed towards a bottomless pit.

Minister Devananda also pointed out that the present Government has initiated action, to fully implement the 13th Amendment to the Constitution and it is necessary to support the Government in its endeavour for granting more powers to the Provincial Councils.

The Minister added that measures have to be taken to remove all the hindrances that block the granting of political rights to the Tamil speaking people and it is by adhering to this course of action that Tamil speaking people could be saved from a total political disaster.

Minister Douglas Devananda said his meeting the UN Secretary General was extremely fruitful.