(COLOMBO, LANKAPUVATH) – Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe says only rising in unity as children of the same mother to bring reconciliation among communities will heal the wounds and erase the dark stain left by the Easter Sunday attacks on churches and hotels by the extremist Muslim terrorists.
Making a special statement on Tuesday, the Premier stressed that different religious groups in the country should work in unison and requested everyone to join hands to return the country to normalcy.
The Premier also thanked all those who supported to celebrate the Poson Festival successfully.
“After several rounds of discussions with the Maha Sangha of the tri-chapters, on 5th June, I requested you to celebrate the Poson Festival in keeping with religious traditions. Accordingly, we were able to celebrate the Poson Festival on a grand scale. As well as religious offerings, Amisa pooja was held all over the country. We have seen this year’s Poson festival celebrated with great enthusiasm even in areas where Poson festival was not a priority before.”
We thank all those who contributed to make this year’s Poson Festival a grand success at a high level. We salute the leadership given by our Maha Sangha in this regard and appreciate the support extended by Government Ministers, Officers, Security Forces, Principals and schools, public and private institutions. People all over the country came together to celebrate Poson. Their devotion and enthusiasm gave the world a better picture of our country. Therefore, we are grateful to all of them.
Next comes the Esala Perahera. The Perahera should also be held in a grand and dignified manner. I hope to hold discussions with the Chief Prelates of Malwatte and Asgiri chapters and Diyawadana Nilame in this regard.
It is only by standing up unitedly as children of one mother, that we can erase the dark blotch stained our country in the wake of Easter Sunday attacks. Let us all join hands for that noble cause.”
