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Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe pledged to deliver a political solution for the Tamil people, during his three-day visit to Jaffna.
Meeting with TNA officials on Saturday, the prime minister is said to have assured them that solutions to problems faced by the people in the region will be found.
However, addressing the Sri Lankan military at the Palali army camp, in the midst of a vast militarised high security zone, he said Sri Lanka should enhance its military force.
Sri Lanka already possesses one of the largest army's in the world, in relation to its population size, and the militarisation of the North-East is one of the key grievances of the Tamil people.
Speaking in front of over 2,000 members of the security forces, the prime minister said,
“Sri Lanka should enhance its military force in addition to the region’s economic strength. We will have to think of the new roles that our forces will have to play when the South Asian region develops.”
Owners of the land occupied by the Palali HSZ were recently blocked by the military from visiting their land.
The prime minister also visited a Buddhist vihara, where he stressed the need to preach the Dhamma in Jaffna.
The prime minister said Tamil monks could be brought over from India to preach Buddhism, Ceylon Today reported.
During his visit, Mr Wickremesinghe also pledged that direct flights between Palali and India would be launched.
TNA parliamentarians Maavai Senthirajah, Suresh Premachandran and E Saravanapavan participated in an event for the prime minister on Saturday while MP Sritharan and Chief Minister CV Wigneswaran boycotted the visit.
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