"Time is now for reconciliation" - President

Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe said that the time is now for reconciliation and solve the issues of all communities one by one.

He was speaking at the 100th anniversary of the All Ceylon Jamiyyathul Ulama in Colombo on Thursday (19).

The President said the government already started discussions with the Tamil community, and will also be talking with the Tamil communities in the Hill Country in order to integrate them into society.

"We must have a discussion with the Muslim community on the problems you face. What are the issues you face now? I think one example is the 2018 Dhigana riots. We have to talk about it. And you got to talk about 2019 easter bombs. What led to these, what are the issues?," said the President.

He also said that discussions must also take place with the Sinhala communities as well, as some have been affected by caste as society does not accept them.

"This is why I want to establish the Social Justice Commission, which will also look at these long standing issues. In the 75th year (of independence) we will all look at becoming Sri Lankans and how we live in our country. Let us be strong as a nation. Let the social justice prevail. Let ethnic harmony prevail. And let's have a new economy, which will enable us to be a very competitive economy, making us prosperous," said the President.