Freedom rays dawned to the East on July 19th 2007 due to the priceless services of the gallant soldiers who embarked on a humanitarian operation.The soldiers undertook this effort at a time when the Eastern polity under the grip of the brutal LTTE terrorists for more than two decades, were yearning for rays of freedom.

One year has been completed following the Eastern liberation. The LTTE terrorists prepared their blue prints in the East, dreaming of an Eelam State, after being nurtured by the ceasefire inked with the UNP. The tiger terrorists shut down the Mawilaru Anicut on 21st July 2006 obstructing the flow of water to the civilians. They thus displayed to the world their brutalism.

Humanitarian operations got underway on July 26th 2006 marking the beginning of shattering the Eelam dream.

The security forces, after liberating the Mawilaru sluice gate on August 8th captured Sampur in Trincomalee and thereafter claimed victory in Thoppigala on 3rd July 2007. The government was entrusted the task of rebuilding the East, after the total liberation of the East, routing the LTTE terrorists, who claimed that they cannot be vanquished. It was President Rajapakse who undertook the uphill task of reawakening the Eastern polity. De-mining commenced thereafter and also the removal of booby traps.

The civilians, who lived in the dark received power, while roads were constructed. The Government commenced the difficult operation of uplifting infrastructure including schools and hospitals. A new era dawned for the East with the supervision and courage of Senior Presidential Advisor and Parliamentarian Basil Rajapakse and the entire Government.

The Eastern civilians also enjoyed universal franchise to elect their Provincial representatives after 20 years, as the Government opened the doors to enthrone democracy in the region sans restricting it to development. The Eastern civilians received the opportunity of expressing their preferences visiting the pooling booths peacefully in the Provincial elections staged on 10th May this year. Reports of local and international election monitors bared that it will go down in history as the most free and fair poll ever to be held in Sri Lanka.

Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan took oaths before the President on 16th May as the Eastern Chief Minister, placing full confidence in elections, giving up the bullet which he considered as his life. July 19th is a day which has left an indelible mark in Sri Lanka’s history which brought rays of peace to the Eastern civilians.

Sri Lanka’s independence was commemorated with pride at the Independence Square in Colombo under the patronage of the President, on the day the Easterns saw rays of freedom. The Mega programme to carry forward the country enjoying the benefits of development is continuing relentlessly.

(Courtesy : ITN Sri Lanka )