Veteran Journalist Manik de Silva yesterday stressed the need of having a tax to be levied from every citizen of the country to normalize the lives of the people in the war torn areas.

He was of the view that the all people of the country should pay a tax for them as the resources of the State cannot meet the requirements alone.

Manik de Silva testified before the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission at the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute yesterday.

Silva insisted that contribution of total population of the country towards ensuring normal life for the displaced people in the North would be more useful.

He said that a number of individuals and organizations are doing lot of things but they do not get proper publicity. Silva said that the individuals in the calibre of Mrs. Kobbekaduwa has been implementing a number of project for the uplift of former border villages and they deserve more publicity.

When asked by a Committee member and Former High Court Judge Maxwell Paranagama why he proposed a separate tax when the Nation Building Tax is already in force, Silva said that he does not feel that he pays tax for Nation Building.

Silva said that the money collected from the Nation Building Tax may sometime be channelled to the Consolidated Fund.

Journalists should have free access to Jaffna and other areas in the North. He added that journalists visiting Jaffna still require permission from the defence authorities and this situation needs to be changed.

He said there was a lapse in the Sri Lanka Army with regard to public relations. He said the State media reporters did what the Forces wanted and no first-hand reporting was possible during the final stage of humanitarian operation.

He stressed that there is no hatred between communities. Silva said that the Sinhalese being the majority community came forward for the rescue of Tamils when the communal flames raged in 1983.

”I do not think there is real enmity between the communities in the country. We all have friends of other communities,” he added.

He said that there is a generation who grew up with the war and they have been taught by the LTTE that Sinhalese are ruthless community.

He said that this perception should be removed from their minds.

Silva added that local and international media did not give much publicity for the people particularly the Muslims who evicted from the original lands by the LTTE in Jaffna.

Courtesy: DailyNews

Posted on Tuesday, September 14, 2010 @ 07:25:30 LKT by SaNDuN

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