President at Int’l Women’s Day meeting:

Eradication of terrorism the highest reward for country’s women

Chaminda Perera and Raja Waidyasekera, Tissamaharama Special Corr

President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday said the Government gave the highest reward to women by eradicating terrorism from the land within a short period. He said women in Sri Lanka underwent a number of hardships and difficulties due to the war and the Government was able to relieve their burden by eradicating terrorism from Sri Lankan soil.

The President stressed that a large number of women can now heave a huge sigh of relief after the Government curbed the illicit drug menace through the Mathata Thitha Program.

The President made these observations yesterday at a meeting held at the Singapore hall at Siri Sanghabopura in Hambantota to mark International Women’s Day.

He said the Government removed the fear psychosis from the minds of women. The women in all over the country were in distress and they were hanging around schools anxiously throughout the day fearing that their children would fall prey to the terrorists.

President Rajapaksa said that Government ended that era for good. The President stressed that he has decided to increase the women’s representation in the legislature. “ He added that women should be given their due place in society.

The President added that the women should also be prepared to protect their place in society too.

He added that the women in Sri Lanka faced innumerable problems due to the illicit drug menace and a number of families disintegrated due to this situation.

He stressed that he pioneered implementing the Mathata Thitha program to comply with a request made by a woman at a women’s conference in the Estate sector. “She requested me to take action against the illicit drug menace in the region,” he said.

He said that nobody sells cigarettes to the underaged and smoking is taboo in public places. The women today can heave a sigh of relief as the drug menace no longer exists in the villages,” he said.

The President reiterated the Government is bound to protect society and the posterity from all types of woes thought it loses a large amount of revenue in the process. “We have inherited a culture which is intertwined with our history of 2500 years. The number of divorce cases have increased today as society strayed from our rich culture,” he added.

The President said that the women’s contribution to society and the country’s economy is immense. He added that their contribution as expatriate workers and apparel sector employees has helped swell the country’s foreign reserves.

The President added that the women representation in all fields has increased remarkably.

The top rungs in the judiciary and administration are held by women today, he said.

President Rajapaksa said women have been placed in a higher position although there was an era in which Sri Lankan women were far ahead of other countries in terms of politics.

He said that Sirimavo Bandaranaike became the world’s first woman Prime Minister and he was fortunate enough to work under Prime Minister Bandaranaike and President Chandrika Bandaranaike .

“We established a different Ministry for women as we had a clear understanding on the importance of women and the children in this country,” he said.

Minister G.L. Peiries and Tharunyata Hetak Organization Chairman Namal Rajapaksa were also present.