President Ranil Wickremesinghe speaking at the funeral of former Tamil National Alliance Leader, late R. Sampanthan, recalled that despite being a politician representing the Eastern Province, Sampanthan consistently advocated for powersharing in a united Sri Lanka, and never advocated for separatism.
According to a press release from the Presidential Media Division (PMD), President Wickremesinghe had stated that he had lost a dear friend, and that everyone must unite to carry forward what was agreed with the late TNA leader during several meetings held early this year and in 2023.
The President also stressed that in pursuit of finding solutions for the grievances faced by the Tamil community, the Government is moving to place before the Parliament the draft legislation for the National Land Commission.
The President also pointed out that the late TNA leader, not only represented the interest of the minority communities from the North and East of the island, but was an exemplary opposition leader.