Sri Lanka President Maithripala Sirisena has vowed to “eradicate the LTTE ideology” which is still present locally and globally to ensure long lasting peace in Sri Lanka.
“I want to eradicate the LTTE ideology (of a separate state) completely both locally and internationally,” Sirisena said at a gathering in the suburbs of Colombo’s Dehiwela.
He said, since being elected, he had been able to cultivate friendships with all world leaders. He would rely on their assistance to achieve reconciliation.
I will ensure a country where all communities live together in peaceful co-existence, harmony. This will be a society where everyone is treated equally, he said.
We ended the war and silenced the guns, but for long lasting peace we have not been able to eradicate the LTTE ideology.
Sirisena took power in January 2015 and assured to take serious steps to win over the Tamil community, who had preferred him over Mahinda Rajapakse.
Tamils, while noting the progress, stay unhappy with the slowness of the process. Sirisena said what is paramount to the country was the peace between the majority Sinhalese and the Tamil and Muslim minorities.
Government forces killed the Tamil Tiger rebel leader Velupillai Prabhakaran on May 18, 2009, after a brutal military crackdown, and declared an end to the 37-year conflict which claimed at least 1,00,000 lives.