Defeat of terrorism:

Celebrations in Saudi

Mohammed Rasooldeen in Riyadh

The majority of the Sri Lankans in the Kingdom expressed happiness over the victory of the Sri Lankan government which has liberated the country from terror.

The Sri Lankan Government announced that it killed the LTTE leader Vellupillai Prabhakaran, who waged a war against the Government for a separate state for the past 30 years. The Government has accommodated more than 200,000 IDPs who had fled the LTTE held areas.

The Sri Lanka consulate in Jeddah will celebrated the victory today with a special party at the consulate premises. Abdul Latiff Mohammed Lafeer, Consul General described it as a nation’s victory and he hoped to celebrate with the members of the community in a fitting manner.

Lafeer said that his mission will open a book for registering congratulatory messages from the community members. “The recorded messages will be sent to President Mahinda Rajapaksa who had freed the country from terror.”

Sri Lankan Ambassador Abdul Ageed Mohamed Marleen described the finale of the battle against LTTE as a victory of all communities.

Saifudeen Thassim, a veteran banker who has retired from Samba Financial Services said: “The leadership of the Sri Lankan Government has eradicated terror and paved the way for peace and happiness among all communities. Now all the communities can live in harmony without any ethnic problems as we did following independence in 1948.”

Mohamed Ansar, who is in the Kingdom for the past 17 years said that Prabhakaran died as a coward. He preached his people to kill others and swallow cyanide capsules in case of danger, but he did not practice what he preached.

Nirone Dissanayake, a community leader said: “This is like a dream come true. Sometimes back, Killing of Prabhakaran was not even dreamt of as the previous governments proved him invincible.

M.B. Izzadeen who works as a supervisor was overjoyed of his government’s victory against terror. “We are free from terror and can go to our country peacefully and live there without any problems.”

While congratulating the Sri Lankan Security Forces for their victory over terrorism, Vinod Menon, a Riyadh-based corporate journalist, said that the fall of the LTTE brings to mind India’s own triumph over the terrorist movement in Punjab.

The Punjab separatist forces were entirely eliminated bringing complete calm to the state.