North cleared of 4 m sq metres of land-mines - PM

Irangika Range and Sandasen Marasinghe

Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayaka told Parliament yesterday that the Security Forces had been able to remove land-mines in an area extending to four million square metres in the North.

The Premier also brought to the notice of the House that it was estimated about 1.5 million death traps including land-mines had been buried in the Northern Province.

He made these observation moving the Motion for the extension of the Emergency by a further month.

The Premier also stated that the Security Forces are of the view that those death traps had been laid in an area of 500 square kilometres in Jaffna, Mannar, Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu and Vavuniya. Commencing the debate, the Prime Minister said: "There were certain elements who attempt to demoralize us when we stood as a sovereign Nation.

"Those elements attempted to paralyse us in the economic, social and political aspects or at least to tarnish the image of the country which seemed to have intensified presently."

The Prime Minister said the world seemed to have divided into two camps - one that respected the sovereignty of a Nation and the other that attempted to be puritans by violating human rights of other nations.

The Premier said that it was pathetic to observe the attempts by certain elements to achieve their mean political objectives with the support of those foreign forces even pawning the good name and dignity of the country.

He remarked that the Government was able to bring peace of mind to those who were battered by terrorism.

Premier Wickramanayaka said it was history that decided the villain or the hero and quarried as to whether one could become a hero by obstructing the advancement of any country.

He hit out at certain groups who had forgotten the dedication and sacrifice of war heroes.

The Prime Minister observed that the country had once again been able to prove that we were a proud nation with dignity and it was the Government's attempt to prove the same in the economic and social sphere as well.

Prime Minister Wickramanayaka brought to the notice of the House the World Bank's statement that revealed the BoI in Sri Lanka was the leading service provider in South Asia.

He mentioned that it was natural that any Opposition could not tolerate such achievements owning to political hypocracy but the country was faced with the challenge of propelling the process of development.

The people in North had understood the situation. The Government was settling the IDPs successfully in their own villages providing them with basic needs.

He said international communities had highly commended the resettlement mechanism in the country.

The Prime Minister referring to the youth in the North stated that it was a good sign to see them give up firearms and attend schools. The Prime Minister asserted the Government had no need to exploit the Emergency Law for personal gain.