We will build a country free of racism: Sri Lankan Prez to Tamils

Colombo, Jan 15 (PTI) Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Thursday assured the minority Tamil community that he would build a country free of racism and rich in national unity.

"I know that many of you here placed your trust in us at the last general election. For the first time, we won the Jaffna District, which means you have placed your trust in us," said Dissanayake, who is on a visit to Jaffna, the cultural capital of the Tamils, marking the Tamil Thai Pongal day.

"I assure you that we will not allow that trust to be betrayed even in the slightest. We will build a country free of racism and rich in national unity, and we will create a better future for your children," he said.

"We will build a country where everyone can live happily. I give you my assurance that we will discharge our responsibilities tirelessly to fulfil these expectations,” he added.

According to Tamil culture, today marks the dawn of the new year, Dissanayake said.

Recalling the past year of his NPP government for which the northerners voted en masse, Dissanayake said, “This year has been one in which racially motivated conflicts were at their lowest, campaigns that foster racism were weakened and there was a collective struggle for national unity”.

Dissanayake said that the Jaffna people now stand witness to many development projects happening in the north, including the construction of a cricket ground.

While in Mannar, Dissanayake officially launched a 50-megawatt wind power project in line with the government’s policy to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The project is scheduled for completion in March 2027.

"Joined the Northern Province Thai Pongal Festival in Velanai, Jaffna today. Our goal is clear: to build a prosperous Sri Lanka, free from racism, where every citizen can live with dignity, regardless of their language or faith," he later said in a post on X. PTI CORR ZH ZH