President refutes Kurunegala war memorial rumours

President Maithripala Sirisena said he had directed the Defence Secretary and the Army to rebuild the war memorial near Kurunegala town which was temporarily removed due to reconstruction work on the Kurunegala-Dambulla road. 

The President also revealed that he had given instructions that the new war memorial be even more impressive than its previous iteration. 

The President further stated that the rumours that the Government had taken steps to remove the memorial near Kurunegala town were completely false and meant to mislead the public. 

He made these remarks while attending a national drug prevention program held yesterday at the Meegahaela Sports Grounds in Hiriyala in Kurunegala. 

President Sirisena said that even though various requirements arose in the development process, if there was a need to remove a war memorial he had already given instructions to reinstall such monuments at their proper locations, giving them their due respect. 

This drug prevention program was implemented as the first electorate level program of the national drug prevention campaign. 

Several activities for the area were initiated at this occasion, including the launch of special operation programs by the Presidential Task Force to identify those at the village level addicted to drugs and rehabilitate them.

The President went on to point out that drug addiction among low income segments of the population was one of the main reasons for the increase in the country’s poverty.

He also stated that everybody should unite to free the country from the menace of drugs in order to enable it to be a healthy nation.

The President presented schoolchildren who had aided the drug prevention program with official badges at the ceremony. He also distributed awards to officials who had worked toward drug prevention. The President also received several honorary awards. Ministers Anura Priyadarshana Yapa and Dayasiri Jayasekara, the Governor of the North Western Province Amara Pitaseeli Rathnayaka, Chief Minister Dharmasiri Dasanayaka, the Project Director of the Vayamba Province Shantha Bandara and the SLFP Organiser for the Hiriyala Electorate Kamal Indika were also present at the occasion.