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| Sunday, 14 August 2005 |
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Prime Minister mourns I got to know the late Lakshman Kadirgamar when I was a young lawyer. I have witnessed his prowess as a lawyer with awe and admiration. Later, when Kadirgamar became a Member of Parliament and a Cabinet Minister, he became a respected colleague as well. Kadirgamar was one of the best and most successful Foreign Ministers that Sri Lanka has had since independence. He was mainly responsible for building Sri Lanka's image abroad which was badly tarnished at the time he first assumed office in 1994. Kadirgamar was a national leader who was respected by all communities in the country for his stance on the national question. He was in the forefront of the country's peace process. He played a major role in the national and international war against terrorism which has threatened the very fabric of the civilised world and its cardinal values of freedom and democracy. He worked tirelessly to protect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our country and also stood firmly for an undivided Sri Lanka. It is a great tragedy that this apostle of peace and ethnic harmony should have been brutally gunned down when the country needed him most. At this moment of tragedy we strongly condemn this brutal act of terrorism which, according to security sources, has been perpetrated by the LTTE. In this hour of grief, let us remind ourselves that assassination did not destroy Mahatma Gandhi or Abraham Lincoln or S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike or Martin Luther King and Rajiv Gandhi, as the ideals for which they sacrificed their lives continue to live and nourish their countries - paradoxically strengthened by the fact of their assassination. It is also a matter of interest and regret that prior to Mr. Kadirgamar's assassination, he was character assassinated by certain sections. It may be recalled that a similar process of character assassination had preceded the brutal assassination of earlier leaders in our country as well. While it is important for us to be vigilant in order to defeat the objectives of the perpetrators of this dastardly crime, I appeal for calm from all sections of our people. We deeply mourn Mr. Kadirgamar's loss and extend our sympathy to Mrs. Kadirgamar and the members of the family. |
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