“Ignoring peoples’ language rights led to an arms struggle” - Justice Minister

National unity cannot be established through slogans and by merely initiating infrastructure projects, Minister of Justice and National Integration Harshana Nanayakkara has stated.

“If we look at the history of the country, ignoring the people’s language rights led to mistrust among communities and escalated into an arms struggle”, the Justice Minister asserted.

Speaking during an event to mark the Official Languages Week in Colombo, Minister Nanayakkara said if people do not learn from the past mistakes, history will repeat itself.

Therefore, the Minister of Justice and National Integration emphasized the importance of respecting the language rights of the people and their right to freedom of expression.

He is of the view that only through the meaningful implementation of the national language policy, national reconciliation can be ensured in the country.