Maithri appeals to Lankans in South Korea to support SL’s prosperity

President Maithripala Sirisena yesterday appealed to Sri Lankans living in South Korea not be deceived by misleading claims and called on them to support efforts to achieve progress and stability in the country.

President Sirisena, addressing a section of the Sri Lankan community living and working in South Korea at the beginning of his three-day state visit, said he has been able to win over the international community and now had their support to create a better country.

He said this was in contrast to a situation where claims were made that Sri Lankans, including the security forces, would be tried before an international court for alleged war crimes.

The President called on those who make false claims that army camps in the north were being removed to point out the locations and that he had never weakened the security forces. 

“In contrast we have increased the allocations to the Defence Ministry to provide better facilities to the security forces and increased their pensions and disability allowances. The war was over eights back but the Defence Ministry receives the highest allocation,” he added.

“Some claim we have come here to destroy the country, but in reality what we want to do is to have a better country,” he added.

He pointed out that the previous Government in which he was a Cabinet minister had failed to carry out its tasks in the post-war period and that had resulted in international pressure. “Though the war ended militarily, the ideology of those who wanted to achieve a separate state (Eelam) remained. We started to face sanctions and we were falling into an economic crisis prompting the former President to call for early elections, despite having two years to complete.” The President earlier in the day visited a famous Buddhist place of worship in Seoul - the Jogyesa Temple.

Ministers Dr. Sarath Amunugama, Tilak Marapana, Daya Gamage, Ranjith Siyambalapitiya, Malik Samarawickrema and Thalatha Athukorale also joined the President on this visit to Jogyesa Temple.