Colombo, January 12: Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa today unveiled a USD 4 billion reconstruction package for the war-ravaged North to woo Tamil voters ahead of the election in which the minority community could play a decisive role.
Seeking a second term, Rajapaksa said “the end of the war does not mean the end of the conflict” and asserted, “we need to politically address the needs of the Tamils”.
His comments come as Tamils have long demanded genuine devolution of power and regional autonomy. Tamils constitute about 13 per cent of Sri Lanka’s population of 20 million.
Rajapaksa, who was speaking to foreign correspondents at at a breakfast meeting at his residence, charged his opponents of carrying out a “mud-slinging” campaign against him.
–PTI