President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Sunday assured the full implementation of the 13th Amendment as well as the establishment of the Social Justice Commission ensuring all sections of the population can live in harmony.

The President gave this assurance during his speech at the National Thai Pongal Festival held at the Jaffna Durga Hall.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe said that the Social Justice Commission  will be established in order to build a country where everyone can live in harmony, by solving the problems of the people belonging to all sections of the population and that the Government expects to fully implement the 13th Amendment to the Constitution.

“We hope to fully implement the 13th Amendment of the Constitution. Not only in the North but also in the South, the Chief Ministers are demanding that it be implemented. We are continuing those activities. In the next two years, we will continue this work systematically. Today, poverty, hunger and deprivation are not limited to the Sinhalese or the Tamils, we all suffer. We all have to overcome these challenges together,” President said.

Wickremesinghe said that a statement on the Government’s steps toward reconciliation will be made public in February and that a meeting of party leaders will be convened next week to discuss the matter.

President Wickremesinghe also stated that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s work will be accelerated in order to provide relief to the families of the disappeared.

In addition, the President also stated that in order to build a country where all races coexist and achieve economic prosperity, everyone must return to the Sri Lankan identity established by the late D.S. Senanayake 75 years ago.

Rice relief from Ranil