President defends speaking in Sinhalese in Jaffna

President Ranil Wickremesinghe defended speaking in Sinhalese in Jaffna saying he wants the Sinhalese to know what he is saying.

Responding to a question raised during his visit to the ?thayan newspaper office in Jaffna, ?Wickremesinghe said that if he speaks in English while visiting Tamil areas, what he says might be misinterpreted.

Wickremesinghe also said that the priority of the country is to address the economic issue.

He said that while he is keen to resolve the political issues faced by the Tamils, the main focus was to ensure Sri Lanka was not bankrupt anymore.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe, during his visit to Jaffna, attended a meeting where he was received by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Udayan Newspaper and former Member of Parliament E. Saravanabhavan, along with Chief Editor Mr. T. Prabhakaran and other staff members.

The President engaged in a friendly conversation with the journalists and provided positive responses to some of their questions.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe highlighted that the country?s main challenge was to overcome bankruptcy. He noted that having resolved this issue last June, he can now concentrate on addressing other concerns.

The President noted that during his visit to Jaffna over the past two days, the primary concerns expressed by the youth were employment opportunities and future stability. He emphasized that these expectations of the youth are the same across both the North and South.

The President also stated that his goal is to create ample opportunities for provincial development by strengthening the provincial councils. He assured that the central government will support each province in this endeavour. (Colombo Gazette)