Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe assured that the LTTE would not be allowed to resurge under a future UNP government , as current president Maithripala Sirisena would become the government’s defence minister and pledged to make Sri Lanka a bastion of Buddhism.

Speaking at an election rally at Kurunegala on Thursday, ColomboPage reported Mr Wickremesinghe as telling the crowd not to worry about the resurgence of the LTTE, as an “excellent defence minister” would be assigned to the post.

He went on to state that current Sri Lankan President Sirisena would be given the role in a future UNP government in order to “safeguard” the country. Mr Sirisena previously held the post of defence minister during the final few weeks of the armed conflict in 2009, when the vast majority of Tamil civilian deaths occurred – mostly from Sri Lankan government shelling.

Mr Wickremesinghe also stated that if his party were to succeed in the upcoming general elections, national security would remain its main focus.

He also added that he would ensure “Sri Lanka would be made the centre of Theravada Buddhism to propagate and preserve Theravada Buddhism in the region and the globe as a whole”.

Daily Mirror reported the prime minister as saying “Sri Lanka would be able to play a role in preserving Theravada Buddhism in the way it was done by Emperor Asoka in the ancient past” and that “Buddhist principles would also be instilled into parliamentary practice”.

Meanwhile his colleague Power and Energy Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka reassured the powerful Buddhist clergy that the UNP would not implement federalism or deveolve power to the Tamil North-East.

“We are not proxies of the LTTE,” said Mr Ranawaka.

See our earlier posts:

'Federalism will never be given to North' says government minister (06 Aug 2015)

‘Unitary status needs to be maintained’ says Sri Lankan president (06 Aug 2015)

UNP will protect a united Sri Lanka – Minister (05 Aug 2015)

Sinhala opposition mounts against federal solution (04 August 2015)

Mahinda vows to leave no room for separatism (03 August 2015)

TNA using 'communal issues' to get votes - JVP (02 August 2015)

UPFA rejects any autonomy to Tamil regions beyond 13th amendment (01 August 2015)

Sri Lanka's cabinet rejects Tamil demands for federal power sharing solution (31 Jul 2015)

Sri Lankan election commissioner says candidates must affirm commitment to unitary state (30 Jul 2015) 

UNP coalition partner calls for on Tamils to ‘integrate’ with Sinhalese  (30 Jul 2015)

LSSP criticises TNA call for federalism  (30 Jul 2015)

Sinhala nationalist organisations rally against federalism  (30 Jul 2015)

'Everybody should consider this as a one country' says President in Kilinochchi  (29 Jul 2015)

UNP reiterates rejection of federal solution  (29 Jul 2015)

JVP slams TNA manifesto and opposes federalism  (29 Jul 2015)

UPFA election manifesto limits political solution to ethnic conflict to 13A  (28 Jul 2015)

SLMC reiterates desire to re-establish Tamil homeland by re-merging Northern and Eastern provinces  (28 Jul 2015)

Sri Lankan MP says TNA manifesto threatens country's sovereignty  (26 Jul 2015)