Devananda Meets Indian Premier Dr. Manmohan Singh


Secretary General of the EPDP K.N. Douglas Devananda thanked the country with the greatest democracy for all the moral support.

(August 04, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) The Indian Prime Minister and the leader of the 14th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Summit, is here in Sri Lanka to participate in the 15th SAARC summit being held in Colombo on August 2, 2008 under the theme “Partnership for our People”. The EPDP Secretary General, Chairman of the Northern Special Task Committee and Social Services and Social Welfare Minister met Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh yesterday August 1, 2008 in Colombo.

EPDP Secretary General and Minister Douglas Devananda, while expressing his gratitude to the Indian Leader for meeting with him as representative of the Tamil Speaking People handed over a three page memorandum containing important issues.

The Minister also said that he was specially grateful for the moral support of the Indian Government to the efforts initiated to revive the stalled process to find a solution to the ethnic problem in Sri Lanka, which has gained momentum at present.

The EPDP Secretary General speaking on the issue of the security forces moving towards Vanni to liberate the people of Vanni from the clutches of the LTTE stressed that India should fully support and corporate in the efforts to liberate the people trapped in Vanni and ensure the safety of innocent civilians.

The Social Services Minister Douglas Devananda also requested the Indian Prime Minister to help and assist in getting the essential items to the people of Jaffna, who have already been liberated from the LTTE clutches in an orderly manner. He also suggested that it would be faster and cheaper to bring the essential items from India rather than from the South. The Indian Prime Minister told Mr. Devananda that his request for 10, 000 metric tons of rice would be granted soon.

During this meeting Mr. Devananda also requested additional assistance from the Indian Premier to take forward the Social Welfare Schemes and Upliftment Programmes for the People through the Maheswary Foundation.

When the North is completely liberated from the LTTE clutches, major rehabilitation and reconstruction needs to be done. Once again Devananda requested that India being our neighbour and a country with the greatest democracy in the World should help us in every possible way, especially to construct and establish rail service to the North upto Kankesanthurai.
In conclusion, the Minister Devananda thanked the Indian Premier for everything and said that he would like to meet him again with more development proposals for the war affected areas in the North and East within the next six months. The Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh lent a patient hearing and expressed his willingness to help Sri Lanka.

Coming Up Special Interview with Minister Devananda
- Sri Lanka Guardian