Sri Lanka president urges military to reach out to Tamil people
Sri Lanka's president today urged the military to win over the Tamil people and to ensure they live without "fear or suspicion".
President Mahinda Rajapaksa addressed a military parade and victory ceremony that commemorated the government's defeat of the separatist Tamil Tigers last month after more than a quarter-century of conflict.
The government has held a succession of celebrations over the past two weeks, to the delight of the majority Sinhalese community. However, many Tamils fear even harsher security crackdowns and worry their appeals for a greater voice in the government will now be brushed aside.
Speaking in the Tamil language, Mr Rajapaksa reached out to the minority group, saying the war was fought against the rebels, not against Tamils.
"Beloved soldiers, now the war against the terrorists is over, you must now win over the hearts of our Tamil people," he said.
"You must protect the Tamil-speaking people, and they must live without fear and suspicion. That is the responsibility of all of us."
The UN estimates tens of thousands of Tamil civilians were killed or wounded in the last months of fighting, and nearly 300,000 are being held in displacement camps in the north.
Rajapaksa's speech was followed by a two-hour parade.
