Unity in South needed to solve N-E problems: PM

A solution cannot be found to the North and East problem unless there is unity among people in the South, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse said.

"We have a responsibility to ensure peace for all sections of the people. Peace does not mean only the ceasefire agreement. It is something far beyond that, " he told a rally in support of his Presidential Candidature at Pannala on Sunday.

The rally was organised by Plantation Industries Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa. Rajapakse said peace could not be fostered in the North when there was division and in-fighting among the people in the South.

"Therefore to bring peace to the North, unity should be built among people of all communities and religions in the South," he said.

The Prime Minister said similarly law and order and discipline should be maintained in the country if they were to foster and enhance peace.

"One could not allow the law of the jungle to prevail in the country and ensure peace at the same time," Rajapakse said.

"There is also another challenge facing us. That is to eradicate poverty and enhance the economic standards of the people. If we can foster lasting peace we need not unduly exert ourselves in promoting economic development because development will automatically follow," he said.

The Prime Minister said Sri Lanka could even surpass certain so called developed countries in the world if it was developed according to an indigenous policy framework.

He said the so called investors who bought Thulhiriya, Mattegama and other ventures gifted to us by the Socialist bloc, did not bring any money into our country.

"They bought and ran those ventures with borrowings made from local banks and some of them have already left with the profits earned from such things should not be allowed to happen. Investors should be encouraged to come in a more responsible and practical manner."

The Prime Minister who promised to re-open the Kabul Lanka lace factory and provide job security to its employees if he is elected President, said he would also provide a much needed bridge connecting the two river banks to promote its economic development.

Rajapakse recalled that as Labour Minister, he established a Vocational Training Authority to enable youth find employment according to their skills. When he was Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, he set up a University of Oceanography and a coast guard unit to protect the seas from foreign trawlers illegally fishing in them.

The Prime Minister who said that agriculture had been part of our proud culture from times immemorial, added that people who tried to destroy that culture by encouraging people to reclaim paddy lands for building purposes were now promising to usher in a Perakum era.

He said people who had no love for the country were now trying to deceive the masses by slinging mud at them. Since the people were determined to ensure their future well-being by overcoming all challenges, the Prime Minister said. He would definitely emerge victorious at the forthcoming Presidential election.

Plantation Industries Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa said the country needed a strong leader as President who could unite all sections of the people.

It was to cater to that need that Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse was nominated as the Presidential candidate, he said.