Ranaviru family outreach meetings conclude successfully in Matara:

Victory over terrorism due to war heroes - Defence Secretary

The 17th and the final session of the round of Ranaviru family outreach meetings organized by the Ranaviru Seva Authority (RSA) was held at the 2nd Gemunu Watch regimental headquarters in Matara on Friday. Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa and several senior government officials met members of over 350 Ranaviru families at this session.

The round of meetings commenced in March 2009 in Anuradhapura for Ranaviru families of Anuradhapura and Vavuniya districts.

The program’s aim is provide an opportunity for members of Ranaviru families, particularly of those who laid down their lives from the Mavil Aru Operation to the end battle, to meet the Defence Secretary.

RSA Chairman Major General (retired) Palitha Fernando, delivering the opening address, said that the Defence Secretary has met around 4,000 Ranaviru families during the 17 meetings.

“This program was launched on an idea of the Defence Secretary. Three months ago, he informed me that he wanted to meet family members of war heroes who had laid down their lives since the Mavil Aru operations personally,” the RSA Chairman said.

The RSA Chairman explained the Ranaviru welfare project undertaken by the Authority.

“We have organised the Ranaviru families scattered across the island in to Ranaviru Sansada, at divisional secretariat level , so that they would be more empowered to project their problems to the authorities. We have also appointed an officer of the Ranaviru Seva Authority at each governor’s office to look after the welfare of the Ranaviru families at provincial level,” he said.

“You do not need to go behind anybody to solve your problems any longer. You can directly contact the authority via our provincial officers. Soon we will appoint officers at district level, so that Ranaviru Seva Authority becomes more accessible to you,” he added.

Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa said he initiated the program to convey his condolence and to express his gratitude to the Ranaviru families for the sacrifices they made.

“I consider it is my duty as the Defence Secretary to meet personally, parents, wives and children of those war heroes who laid down their lives since the Mavil Aru Operation and to convey my condolences for their losses and to express my gratitude for their sacrifices on behalf of the President and the Government,” he said.

“We have achieved this great victory, because of the noble sacrifices made by your loved ones at the battlefield. In fact, it was because he had fought at the front that he had to lay down his life. It is because he had fought at the front that we achieved this victory,” the Defence Secretary said.

“We must always remember that the victory has been achieved with invaluable sacrifices. The aim of programs such as this is to show that we would never forget them.

We know that we would never be able to restore your loss or lessen your grief, but I always consider it is the responsibility of the Defence Ministry to value the sacrifices you made, express our gratitude and to do everything possible to take good care of you,” he added.

Chairperson of the MOD Seva Vanitha Unit, Ioma Rajapaksa, Additional Defence Secretary, Willy Gamage and several other officials participated in the discussions.