Lanka firmly behind Palestine - Ambassador

Suraj BANDARA

Sri Lankan Government and its people were behind the Palestinians when they were suppressed by Israel and its supporting Western countries, the Palestinian Ambassador for Sri Lanka Dr. Anvar -al-agar said.

He was addressing media personnel at the Labour Relations and Manpower Ministry yesterday. This was organized by Sri Lanka Committee for Solidarity with Palestine (CSP) to mark the first anniversary of the bloody Israeli attack on Palestine which killed thousands of unarmed and hapless civilians in the Gaza strip and West Bank.

He said Sri Lankan media did a great job when western media kept silent on what was happening the Palestinian soil. Israel and Western bloc wanted to hide the brutal attacks and especially when they used internationally prohibited weapons such as white phosphorus and chemicals.

Palestinians are eagerly waiting a global interference and punish the culprits according to the international military standards. Over 35 per cent who died in this aggression were children. Over 5,000 people are still homeless, he said.

The Ambassador said the "siege is still there, nothing has been done, situation is becoming werse". The effects of these chemical weapons are still experience led by its people. No so-called justice has been given to the Palestinian people. No subsidies are allowed to reach the people and they have built a big wall to show their inhumanity to the Palestinians, he said.

CSP Co-President Imthiaz Bakeer Marker said it is the most heartfelt experience to live in this world as a colony. Western power has pushed Palestinians to a living hell in this world which we can see with our naked eyes.

CSP Co-President Nanda Kaluthanthri stressed that President Mahinda Rajapaksa did a great job for the Palestinian people. He was the co-founder of the CSP. When world tried to isolate Palestine, he visited there and invited Palestinian President to visit Sri Lanka. Palastinians showed their gratitude by naming a road as Mahinda Rajapaksa Street and it was for the first time in their history a foreign leader was honoured that way. President started direct diplomatic relations with Palestine when other countries ignored them. Therefore, Palestinians love President Mahinda Rajapaksa whole heartedly, he said.