(Text of a Media Communiqué issued by the Ministry of Traditional Industries and Small Enterprise Development -Media Unit)

pic: EPDP news

Hon. Douglas Devananda, Minister of Traditional Industries and Small Enterprise Development, addressing the public rallies held in Kattupulam, Ponnalai, Chullipuram, Chettiamadam and Araly on the 2nd of September 2013 for obtaining support for victory of the UPFA fielded candidates at the forthcoming Provincial Council election, said that the TNA was in the process of betraying the people of the North for Dollars and Sterling pounds extended by the Tamil Diaspora, as done previously and this measure whilst being despicable in no way would bring development to the North.

Speaking further, the Minister said that it’s only during the election period that Mr. Sambanthan led group came to the North and thereafter they confined themselves to their luxury homes in Colombo oblivious to what happened in the North. Going round the world with fabricated stories for garnering Dollars and Sterling pounds, education of their children in foreign entries, migration of their kith and kin to the rich West, then became their priorities, added the Minister. The Minister, therefore urged the people not to get carried away by the sugar coated rhetorics of these self-centred politicians but to extend their full support to those who were with them like the EPDP candidates right throughout, both in happiness and sorrow to make the North move forward in the path of development. He also said that Mrs. Navaneethem Pillay, the present United Nations Human Rights High Commissioner who spoke nothing of Human Rights during the period of war had been led up the garden path by the fabricated stories of the TNA for their own benefits.

Mr. S. Thavarajah, the leader of the UPFA fielded candidates; Mr, Sundaram Divalala, UPFA candidate and former Education Ministry Secretary of the North-East Provincial Council; Mr. Kamalendran, Jaffna district EPDP organizer; Mrs. Gnanashakthi, UPFA candidate; Mr. Sridharan Secretary EPRLF (Pathmanabha Group) and Mr. Jeevan, Vaddukodai EPDP organizer and UPFA candidate also spoke.