[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 25 (Wednesday, February 28, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E233]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        SRI LANKA'S NATIONAL DAY

                                 ______


                          HON. LEE H. HAMILTON

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 28, 1996

  Mr. HAMILTON. Mr. Speaker, Sunday, February 4, 1996, marked the 48th 
anniversary of the independence of Sri Lanka. I know my colleagues will 
want to join me in saluting our good friends in Sri Lanka on this 
momentous occasion.
  Sri Lanka and the United States have much in common. Both are 
committed to political pluralism, and both believe in the efficacy of 
free markets and private enterprise. In addition, Sri Lanka has been a 
good friend to the United States for many years. We work together on 
regional issues and in the United Nations. We collaborate on a range of 
critical transnational issues such as population, food security, and 
the environment. The United States is Sri Lanka's largest trading 
partner. Sri Lanka has long hosted an important Voice of America 
facility on its territory.
  Sadly, what should have been a day of celebration for our friends in 
Sri Lanka was instead a time of mourning. Several days before National 
Day, Colombo, the Sri Lankan capital, was rocked by a terrorist 
explosion that claimed nearly 100 lives; 1,400 other men, women, and 
children were injured in the blast.
  Sri Lankan officials have blamed the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam 
[LTTE] for this despicable act of terrorism, which, if true, would make 
the Colombo attack merely the latest in a long line of cowardly 
terrorist acts the LTTE has taken. The world community should be 
forthright in its denunciations of this group. let there be no doubt on 
this score: Genuine freedom fighters do not wantonly take the lives of 
the very people they claim to be liberating.
  Mr. Speaker, I wish to conclude by reiterating my congratulations to 
the brave people of Sri Lanka on the occasion of their National Day, as 
well as my deepest condolences for this horrid act of terrorism that 
struck down so many innocent people.

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