Army to hold largest-ever military exercise

Sri Lanka needs discipline which is instilled in people through military training in addition to economic development and social justice, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said over the weekend. 

Prime Minister Wickremesinghe said this at the Yovun Pura closing ceremony in Weerawila on Saturday evening. “A country needs disciplined people, economic development and social justice if it is to be properly developed. A nation will not be successful if something goes wrong in one of these three components. 

A county such has Singapore had developed today as a result of military training. “Sri Lanka has got the last chance to develop today. We will lose if we don’t maintain discipline, fail to achieve economic development and if society does not benefit from development,” he said. 

“We have got the economic development going with the inauguration of oil refinery and the cement factory in Hambantota, plans are afoot to begin large scale transshipment of vehicles through the Hambantota Port. There will be an LNG power plant here in Hambantota. 

Three more LNG power plants will be set up in Kerawalapitiya. Smart shirts are planning to set up a factory soon. I was asked by some youth who participated in Yovun Pura as to why the government waited for four years to start up mega development projects. I told them that projects were delayed because we had to settle our debts. 

We will have the biggest debt services this year. We will be able to resolve the debt issue to some extent this year,” the Prime Minister added. (Yohan Perera)