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Tuesday, 24 June 2014 00:01 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Everybody should clearly understand and stand for protecting and safeguarding the hard won peace, religious and ethnic harmony, said President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
No room will be left for destabilising the country or damaging the peaceful environment and reconciliation process after defeating terrorism, he added.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa said all Sri Lankans’ duty is to be bound to work for the country’s progress forgetting ethnic, religious and other differences.
The President was addressing the gathering after commissioning the new Fuel Bunkering Terminal and Storage Facility at the Magam Ruhunupura Mahinda Rajapaksa Port (MRMRP) in Hambantota on Sunday.
The President said that people of all ethnic groups should work hand in hand for the country’s progress.
The President said the pride of a nation can only be enhanced by respecting others and not by hurting others.
No room will be allowed to destroy harmony in the country, the President said. He said he has ordered the Police and the security forces to take stern action against law breakers.
Speaking on the commencement of bunkering operations, the President said the port will achieve the status of international harbour, which has all the facilities. The MRMRP now earns revenue from one of the main business channels of the port. The Hambantota Port has been designed to cater to the needs of around 200 to 250 ship that sail through this shipping route daily, which is just a few nautical miles away from the port,” he said. The President said that this is a historic moment of the forward march of the country. All sectors such as education, health, transportation, agriculture and infrastructure facilities have been subjected to rapid progress.
He said the Government regained several Government entities, which had been privatised by the former UNP Government.
The tank farm owned by Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) consists of 14 tanks and eight of them are used by the SLPA for bunkering. The total bunker capacity is 51,000 cubic metres and the capacity for aviation fuel and LP gas are 23,000 and 6,000 cubic metres respectively.
The SLPA has invested $ 76 million in constructing the tank farm and bunkering infrastructure that includes offshore bunkering facilities.
