President and Defence Chiefs hailed

On behalf of the private sector, the business community and the membership, Kosala Wickramanayake, President, Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Sri Lanka (FCCISL) congratulated President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, Commander of the Sri Lanka Army, General Sarath Fonseka, Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy, Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda and Commander of the Sri Lanka Air Force, Air Chief Marshal Roshan Goonatilake for liberating the nation from the cruel grips of terrorism.

Wickramanayake further appealed to the international community and the donor agencies to assist the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) to resettle the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in their traditional homes and villages by providing aid which is urgently required for resettlement.

The genuine need of our people from the North is their immediate resettlement to resume their normal livelihood and for the children to go back to school as soon as possible. The GOSL and the International Community should facilitate resumption of businesses especially SME's in the North. The banks & financial institutions should provide loans & other financial facilities required with the intervention of the Central Bank. The equipment and material needed for the supply of water by constructing tube wells, water purification and sanitation is a major requirement. The pressing duty of the International Community would be to supply these requirements which will ease the suffering of northern community. All the communities lived in harmony prior to 1983 and should be resettled in the North and East as early as possible. FCCISL also wish to thank India, Japan and other countries and donors who have pledged financial support for IDPs.