By Walter Jayawardhana

President Rajapaksa told a ruling party womenƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s organization in Moneragala in Uva Province yesterday that he is prepared to face any court anywhere in the world on behalf of the Sri Lankan armed forces officers who carried out orders by him to wipe out terrorism from Sri Lanka.

President Rajapaksa said that nefarious elements are now concocting evidence against the patriotic leaders of the armed forces threatening they would be taken before courts for wiping out terrorism from Sri Lanka and those who are scheming should remember that those officers were simply carrying out orders given by him as the Commander-in ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…”Chief and he would bear the responsibility for all commands issued to save the country from the villainy of terrorism.

The President said, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Some Sri Lankan leaders went to Europe and instigated European leaders not even to waste the barest last moment to try to stop the elimination of terrorist leaders from Sri Lanka and he did not succumb to the pressure.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚

President Rajapaksa addressing the womenƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s organization at Sevanagala Sugar factory premises said he was able to do it because all the people in the country stood by him on the historical move.

Mahainda Rajapaksa further said the terrorists of Sri Lanka was not personally fighting against him but against the innocent people of Sri Lanka using the most insensate and ruthless methods.

ThatƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s why innocent mothers sent their sons to fight against this curse. He gratefully remembered that 2700 people gave their lives to win this freedom from the terrorists by joining the armed forces in this area. Before the victory he also recalled how terrorists who invaded innocent sleeping villages by night and slaughtered men women and children in their beds. He said hundreds close to the so called border villages also died while travelling in buses by terrorist bombs. The President said he could remember how sobbing fathers holding dead bodies of their slaughtered infants in their arms were pleading with him to save them from terrorism.

The President said, today, the country has been brought under one umbrella, as the Sinhalese would say. The rapid development, the government has initiated, is a kind not beneficial to any demarcated area but beneficial to the whole country. The President said the government is recruiting more teachers than soldiers for this purpose now.