DailyMirror
The government officials in any given area had to be conversant in both Sinhala and Tamil, as every citizen had the right to be served in his own language, President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday said.
Addressing the Presidential Progress Evaluation Committee on the Development Affairs in the East, the President said
“Due to the non-availability of officials who are not conversant in Tamil and Sinhala Languages, both Tamil and Sinhala speaking people are inconvenienced.
With the participation of Government Officials from the East the Progress Evaluation meeting had been held where, the three District Secretaries presented the Progress in their Districts and the Progress in the whole Province was presented by the Chief Secretary of the Eastern Province V.G.Balasingham.
Addressing the meeting, President said that “The problems of the people should not be seen from a Racist or a Communal Angle but with empathy. The possible presence of Officials who are conversant in both Sinhala and Tamil languages is the solution. In this country, there is no Ethnic Problem. It is one country and it has only one kind of people. All must know that funds are provided without thinking of Ethnic Compositions,” the President said.
“Do not allow anyone to occupy Government land. Those who try to occupy Port Land unofficially should be evicted. If the Government land is occupied like that, such people should be dealt with legally.