No More Division: AKD Vows to Heal Sri Lanka’s War Scars

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lanka President Anura Kumara Dissanayake pledged to restore dignity, rights, and opportunity to communities devastated by conflict in a heartfelt address in the war-affected region of Puthukkudiyiruppu.

“This is a land of loss,” he said. “Families here have lost loved ones, children, homes, and everything they once owned. Our mission is to rebuild not just infrastructure, but lives.”

He acknowledged the trust placed in him by the people of the region during past elections and emphasized that the challenge now is to honor that trust with action.

“We’ve already begun work across several key areas,” he said. “First, we must affirm their fundamental rights — the right to their land, their language, their culture, and the right to know what happened to their missing loved ones.”

He outlined plans to strengthen the local economy, stating that the government is committed to creating sustainable livelihoods and lifting families out of poverty.

Cultural unity was another focus. “We’ve named a day for all communities to come together in remembrance and reconciliation,” he said, adding that sports and shared experiences will be used to build bridges between divided communities.

President Dissanayake also criticized the use of ethnic nationalism as a political tool, saying it had become the main weapon in the battle for power in both the North and South. “That’s the very mindset the people rejected in the last election,” he said.