'N-E people's woes: solution possible through talks with parties'

Sandasen MARASINGHE

Petroleum Industries Minister Susil Premajayantha said yesterday that President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the government are of the view that an acceptable solution could be reached in respect of the problems of the people of North and East at the Parliamentary Select Committee through discussions with parties in Parliament.

He made this observation in response to a question raised by a journalist at the Cabinet press briefing at the Information Department Auditorium.

The minister said that the government does not accept the LTTE as a representative of the Tamil speaking people. He added that for this reason, the government decided to reach a solution after discussing at the Parliamentary Select Committee.

Premajayantha said that the situation in this regard has drastically changed after May 19, 2009. Even the TNA has the right of expression which they did not have in the past. The international community also influenced to discuss with the LTTE to find a solution in the past. But the situation has changed," he said.

The minister said that in the past, a candidate who obtained even 12 votes was elected to Parliament. "But today there are UPFA and UNP representatives from those areas."

The minister said that the government has spent 25 fold of funds per head to construct infrastructure in North and East, compared to the corresponding ratio in Colombo within the last five years.