Canadian Tamils for Peace and Democracy support President Mahinda

At Kurunegala rally:
President pledges to end thuggery
Chaminda Perera in Kurunegala
*One minute silence for slain UPFA supporter
*We will defeat any conspiracy
*Govt will protect unitary status of country
While condemning the killing of an UPFA supporter in Madurankuliya by a group of gunmen on Saturday, President Mahinda Rajapaksa said he will not allow thuggery to take root in the country under any circumstances. The President was addressing over 100,000 people who flocked to the Maligapitiya grounds in Kurunegala in support of his victory at the upcoming election.
President Rajapaksa along with the Ministers observed one minute’s silence as a mark of respect to the UPFA supporter who was shot dead by an armed group, before he commenced his address.
“We should not give any room to the person who thinks that he can get political mileage by killing innocent people,” he said.
“We will put a full stop to thuggery and conspiracy to divide the country by remerging the North and the East on January 26,” he stressed. He added that the people of this nation gave him power at the eleventh hour to save the country which was under the threat of LTTE terrorists and their followers in the South.
The President reiterated that part of the country was handed over to the terrorists by an agreement and by the time he came into power and the terrorists have set up their own administration for a separate State.
The President stressed the Government pioneered liberating the country from the clutches of terrorism to ensure a better-country for posterity.
He said several traders were engaged in a futile attempt to create an artificial rice shortage in the country by hiding their stocks. The President reminded that this type of consipiracy was in place during 1977 and all hidden stocks came out after the 1977 General election.
He said that the people are ready to teach a lesson to these bogus traders and the conspirators who are involved in betraying the country on January 26. The President said that he is familiar with the life in the rural village as he hailed from one of the most under developed villages in the South.
“Certain elements have said on election platforms that I will be sent to a cottage in a rural village after the election. He said these elements of the pampered class have neither seen a cottage nor experienced the life in rural villages in the country”, he said.
He added that he did not sell any property belonging to the State during his entire tenure as the President. He said the Government has brought several State ventures which were privatized by previous administrations under its control during the past four years.
President Rajapaksa said some weak leaders in the country did not identify LTTE members as terrorists in fear of their lives at that time.
He stressed that more than 30,000 service personnel sacrificed their lives to safeguard the unitary state of the country and the Government is bound to protect and promote the unitary state of the country.
He said that the Government has clearly outlined in the Mahinda Chinthanaya that the Government is committed to protect and promote the unitary status of the country.
Enterprise Development and Investment Promotion and Media and Information Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa, Rural Industries Minister S.B. Navinna, Nation Building Minister and Hiriyala SLFP Organizer Salinda Dissanayake and NFF Leader Wimal Weerawansa also spoke.
President will romp home
Lakshmi de Silva
President Mahinda Rajapaksa will win the forthcoming Presidential poll with an absolute majority as it is clearly seen that all sections of people in the country are rallying round him, SLFP General Secretary, Agriculture and Mahaveli Development Minister Maithreepala Sirisena said yesterday.
Addressing a SLFP press conference at the Mahaveli Centre he said the President had clearly made the people understand his leadership in winning the humanitarian operations against the LTTE terrorists and also implementing mega development programs that accelerated the economic development of the country.
The people strongly felt the freedom from fear that existed even when President Mahinda Rajapaksa was elected four years back. Today they were enjoying the newly won freedom and were rallying in massive numbers at the public meetings held to support his candidature, the Minister noted.
Continuing he said on the other hand the NDF candidate’s behaviour and words used in addressing the public appears crazy and is an indication of his defeat.
He sometimes used the slang used in the army by some high ups on lower ranks. The UNP and the JVP have started unleashing violence like the cases in Tangalla or Anamaduwa as they want to use violence to instill fear into people.
They will have to face the repercussions of their own violence as the public were aware of their past records.
Three public opinion polls have been conducted and each one showed that President Mahinda Rajapaksa was miles ahead of the NDF candidate. The UNP and the JVP could live in their dreams for another few days but on January 27 they will wake up with the reality of realizing that President Mahinda Rajapaksa cannot be defeated.
President an exceptional leader - Ven Chandrarathana Thera
Sandya Karunaratne and Chinta Ranasinghe
President Mahinda Rajapaksa is an exceptional leader who destroyed the utopian dream of Eelam that was about to be built through 30 years of armed might, All Island Young Bhikkhu Organization President Ven Debokkawe Chandrarathana Thera said. The Thera said President Rajapaksa is the only leader who can actively intervene politics, economics, social and cultural matters adding that Sarath Fonseka is a stranger to these concepts.
If the country is to witness a bright future, it is President Mahinda Rajapaksa who should be elected leader at the Presidential Election and all members of the Sangha would join together to deny State power falling into the hands of a dictator like Sarath Fonseka.
He said: “Whenever the country was in peril it was the Bhikkhus who first became alert to the warning signs”.
The Thera was addressing a media conference at the SLFI recently. The Thera also said the role played by the Sangha from historical times to protect the sovereignty of the country should not be trivialized.
“Our organization had raised its voice on behalf of the unitary State since 2008. We will never issue statements for political gain.
We have taken a neutral stand. Today, the National Bhikkhu Front is making statements that mislead the people. We ask the people not to be carried away by such views.”
National Young Bhikkhu Organization Secretary Ven Aranwala Sumana Thera said they have not come forward to speak on behalf of any political party.
“There are among us those who hold different political views.
Certain Bhikkhus have even given up positions and high office and join us to protect the unitary state, independence and territorial integrity of the country.
This is social duty cast upon us,” he said.
The Thera observed that President Mahinda Rajapaksa had defeated all efforts to divide the country honouring his pledge made in 2005.
“However, a conspiracy is being hatched to once again divide the country and Opposition alliance led by Sarath Fonseka is attempting install a totalitarian regime in the country,” he said.

Canadian Tamils for Peace and Democracy support President
The Canadian Tamils for Peace and Democracy, a prominent civil rights group comprised of Sri Lankan Tamils living in Canada has pledged its fullest support to President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the forthcoming Presidential election. According to ToL sources in Toronto, the group has passed a resolution unanimously to support President Rajapaksa to be re-elected and as their only candidate for the Presidency.
The most recent confirmation of support came from the Executive Committee of CatPad, during their extraordinary meeting held on January 12, 2010 and ratified its support to the strong leadership given by President Mahinda Rajapaksa to eradicate terrorism and restore democracy in the North and East of Sri Lanka.
In a press release today the group also requests their brethren in Sri Lanka to follow its path to strengthen the hands of President Mahinda Rajapaksa to take forward the task of not only defeating terrorism in the North and East but also to strengthen the democracy by developing the province economically and socially which are interconnected with peace and political stability in the country.
The Press Release in full: “We urge our Tamils in the North and East to remember our past days under the LTTE warmongers and the communal UNP regime that supported them to establish a de facto government, which recognized LTTE, the most ruthless terrorist outfit in the World as the sole representative of the Tamils. Let us not forget those horrible days under the LTTE.
Their forceful recruitment of our beloved children, military training for young and old, killing of innocent civilians and moderate Tamils, suicide bombings, sufferings and sorrows followed by brutal war unnecessarily forced by the LTTE.
Remember the precious lives of all communities lost by the brutality of LTTE and their sole supporter the UNP. Let us not forget the plight of our Tamil speaking Muslims whose lives were ruined by the cruel LTTE.
We urge our Tamils in the North and East, to support a courageous leader who stood up for democracy for the Tamils and Peace for all Sri Lankans. We urge our Tamil speaking Muslims to rally behind President, Mahinda Rajapaksa, who brought them back to the North, the land of their ancestors.
Remember the UNP which not only permitted the high powered transmission equipment presented by the Norwegian Government without duty to the Voice of Tigers but also exercised their powers in government to strengthen the LTTE militarily during the pact signed with the LTTE in February 2002. The loss to the nation is well-known to the people of Sri Lanka. There is not a single family in Sri Lanka who was not affected by the unholy alliance of the UNP and LTTE, which ruined most of the men, women and children in Sri Lanka.
“We the Canadian Tamils for Peace and Democracy urge the Tamil community to vote for President Mahinda Rajapaksa, a leader who stood firmly against all international pressure and brought terrorism to an end in our motherland. Mahinda Rajapaksa is a leader who freed thousands of Tamils from the Vanni regime and showed a new path to Peace and Democracy. He is a President who saved our beloved children from the LTTE clutches, removed their cyanide capsules and relieved them from becoming suicide bombers. Give the President another chance to develop the North and East to regain our past glory.
Let us become once again the most educated community and stronger business community and become the backbone of our Nation.
Let us all live together with our Muslim and Sinhala brothers as one family.
“To achieve all our dreams let us unite together and vote for a President who has the ability to make this happen. Vote for President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
“Defeat the unholy alliance of Terrorist TNA (Tamil National Alliance alias Terrorist National Alliance) and the communal UNP.
“Defeat separatism. Defeat Sarath Fonseka.
“Every Vote to President Mahinda Rajapaksa is a vote for Peace.
“Every Vote for Sarath Fonseka is vote for Piece (Division of Sri Lanka).
“Your every vote counts!
“Vote for President Mahinda Rajapaksa!
Vote for a United Sri Lanka!”