He said this in the presence of a large gathering when he laid the foundation stone for the building of a Mahindodaya Technology Faculty at the Al Mubarak National School, Malwana, Biyagama.

If peace and harmony among communities are not achieved it would result in economic collapse, giving certain countries the opportunity to de-stablize Sri Lanka by creating ethnic and religious divisions, he added. Therefore it is necessary for everyone to ensure that peace and harmony among communities is not threatened, he emphasized.

The Government has alllocated 65 million rupees each for the construction of 250 Mahindodaya Technology faculties throughout the island. Parallel to the foundation stone laying at the Al Mubarak National School, Minister Rajapaksa also laid foundation stones for the building of technology faculities at the Madhya Maha Vidyalayas of Biyagama, Kirindiwela, Henegama and Kirllawala and the Maha Vidyalayas of Batuwatte Ja-ela and Divulapitiya and Ratnawali of Gampaha, Gnanodaya of Divulapitiya and D.S. Senanayake of Mirigama on June 23 and 24.

Speaking further, the Minister said that every community – Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim – suffered in the 30-year brutal war during which 300,000 Muslims were chased away from the Northern and Eastern Provinces. He recalled that LTTE terrorists had killed in cold blood Muslim devotees who were praying at the Kaththankudi mosque. The war had pushed the country towards a precipice and education was crippled. But, today now that peace has dawned , many problems have been resolved.

 Disaster Management Deputy Minister Dulip Wijesekera and Al Mubarak National School Principal MTM Hamza also spoke.(KH/SI)