The restoration of the Yal Devi train service signifies an important step in the restoration of dignity and self respect to Tamil people who had been denied many freedoms for twenty years thanks to the activities of the LTTE,' President Mahinda Rajapaksa said today.
The Yal Devi train service which had been disrupted for 20 years due to LTTE terrorism has was restored up to Thaladikulam today.
Member of Parliament and Special Advisor to the President, Basil Rajapaksa,said that just as the Government had successfully eradicated the terrorist menace in accordance with the pledges of Mahinda Chinthana, so too will the first phase of the resettlement programme will be completed on schedule, i.e. within 180 days.
He said, moreover that a nation that has successfully carried out the greatest ever hostage rescue operation in history will face and overcome this challenge as well. He dismissed reports in certain sections of the media that IDPs were living in cardboard shed. He said this is a blatant falsehood and that everyone is being provided with the basic amenities and the best possible assistance under the circumstances.
Minister of Transport, Dulles Alahapperuma told www.news.lk that the journey beyond Vavuniya facilitated by the Government is all the most important because it connects territories of economic, geographic and political significance.