Vigneswaran asks president to dismantle war memorials

North’s chief minister C.V. Vigneswaran has asked president Maithripala Sirisena to dismantle or recreate the war memorials in the province, which the CM says, remind the Tamils people of their unpleasant experiences of the war. Writing to the president on August 17, Vigneswaran says these war memorials erected in main towns of the north will cause hatred and racism among Tamils.

He wants the war memorials to be dismantled or recreated as another step to create mutual understanding among the Sinhalese and the Tamils and toward national unity, as the government is entering a path of reconciliation. The CM also requests the president to order the military to refrain from erecting war memorials in the future. Meanwhile, the provincial governor’s office says in a statement that Vigneswaran, who makes false remarks for petty political gains, is incorrect when he says the war memorials create hatred among the Tamils. It also says there is no truth to a Tamil newspaper article in which the CM claims the governor is planning to build two Buddhist temples in Kilinochchi once the NPC is dissolved.