VICKRAMABAHU SPEAKS

If people could speak about up country...  low country.... what is wrong in calling Ealama.....
              -VICKRAMABAHU

After attending to the Eelam conference in Chennai there was a huge uproar about Vickramabahu Karunaratna participating in it. After he returned he called for a press briefing. Although the view of the majority was that his taking part in the conference was wrong, he is the stand that he is correct.
He has claimed that when parts of the country are called as up country, low country and Sabaragamuwa, what is the harm if another area is named as Eelam.
As the Government has hardly done anything to those in the North.I boldly spoke about it. The talk that I was not allowed to speak is incorrect and I totally deny it. What he spoke at the press briefing is as follows:
“Some media had mentioned that I was not allowed to speak at the conference. That is totally incorrect. The conference was conducted by S.K.Balu. The time allocated for my speech was only 10 minutes. Yet I told the conductor of the conference to interrupt and remind me if I exceeded the time allocated for me. As the time given to me was exceeded I was requested to stop my speech. That was what really happened.
Former Chief Minister Karunaniddhi was the person who sent me the ticket to travel and an invitation to attend the conference. They provided me with sufficient security. My speech was appreciated by them. Today our Government has messed up both the South and the North. Although the Government had promised to give lands to those displaced and to settle them; they have failed to abide by what they had confessed. I told that this is the correct stand. This question need not be informed to the Government. People must get together and stage protests I told in my speech.
One representative from Argentina totally agreed to what I said. Countries like Cuba, Argentina are unaware of the correct picture. I went on to say that if Sri Lanka has divided and named parts of the country as Up country, low country, Sabaragamuwa, if a part is named as ‘Ealam Tamil’ is not wrong.
I also told that the fishermen in the ‘Kachchthew’ islands is not given trouble by  Sri Lanka, but by the Indian Army. What our forces do is to save and protect them. I have never betrayed my country by attending the conference but will stand up against the betrayers”.