President recalls the ‘yellow and green cat era’ of 87-89
by Cyril Wimalasurendre
KANDY: President Mahinda Rajapaksa said that mothers complained in tears that those who had led thousands of youth in an abortive revolution only to be killed by vigilante groups that called themselves Kaha Balallu and Kola Balallu (Yellow Cats and Green Cats) were hobnobbing with the same Balallus (Cats).
President Rajapakse was addressing a meeting of youth organised by the Tharunnayata Hetak at the Kandy President’s House.
He said among the vitims had been students of Technical Colleges and universities, who excelled in sports and were members of youth organisations.
The country’s youth must be educated and trained for employment and it was a crime to sacrifice them for violent political causes, the President said.
He said parents who lost their young sons and daughters during 1987, ’88 and ’89 period still came to him in tears.
Mothers had been looking for their children everywhere, he said recalling that some parents had visited him at night and complained that their precious children had been abducted.
The President said: "They did not know the fate of their children. I tried my best to locate them. Some mothers complained to me later that the leaders of that revolutionary movement that used their children as cannon fodder were now members of Parliament. A mother said a member of that organisation had inspired her son to join the outfit. She said her son, who was talented, would have become a parliamentarian, had he lived.
Only two percent of students could enter universities and t hose left out had to be provided with some vocational training, President Rajapaksa said.
It was with that objective that the Sagara Vishva Vidyalaya had been set up and vocational training institutes and technical institutes founded, he said.
The President said he had founded the vocational training authority when he was the minister in charge of vocational training.
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