‘We will fight our own battles’ - PM
by Nilma Dole
[email protected]
Speaking at a seminar organised by the Pakistan High Commission
yesterday, Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayake commented “Sri Lanka
is fighting with the world’s brutal terrorist outfit, the LTTE and
Pakistan is fighting terrorism on their own soil”.
“Terrorism is a sickness that is spreading in this part of the world
and both our countries are suffering. “Countries demand that we talk to
terrorists even though they are not willing to lay down their arms.
However, when these so-called countries too are faced with terrorism
do they talk to the terrorists? “When we lay down our arms, do they lay
down their arms? Certain NGOs have a selective attitude towards
terrorism and defending our security is like doing something wrong,
according to them”, he said.
The Prime Minister emphasised “We will try our best to defend the
security of our country because we have to fight our own battles”. “We
are grateful to Pakistan who have helped us in our times of need and we
haven’t forgotten it”.
He also said “The duty of our Armed Forces is to wipe out terrorism.
He added that the terrorists attack children, the old and feeble and
they continue to explode bombs like they did yesterday.
The Prime Minister made these comments at a seminar hosted by the
Pakistan High Commission at the launch of two books that were translated
into Sinhala on Buddhist Gandhara art at the world heritage site Taxila
which is significant to Buddhists, especially to Sri Lankans.
“The spread of Buddhism has made its impact everywhere around Asia
but destruction lies in the hands of religious extremists but we forgive
them for they do not know what they do”. |