Rajapaksa sworn in for his second term in office

Colombo, Nov 19 (PTI) Mahinda Rajapaksa was sworn in
as Sri Lanka's President for an unprecedented six-year second
term on Friday, promising a new economic boom for the island.
Rajapaksa, who turned 65 on Thursday, was sworn in at a
colourful open air ceremony held at the sea front, by the
chief justice Ashoka D Silva.
The Sri Lankan leader who led the country's triumph
over 30 year-old-insurgency was re-elected President by an
overwhelming majority in the January 26 elections.
He called the election two years early to cash in a
soaring ratings in the wake of last year's military victory
over the Tamil Tiger.
In September, Rajapaksa government passed an amendment
to the constitution to eliminate term limits for the
presidency.
A tri-service march past by thousands of troops marked
the ceremony which was telecast live and the Lankan capital
wore a festive look for the occasion for which a public
holiday had been declared.
Security was tight for the ceremony in the capital
which was boycotted by the opposition United National Party
and the Marxist-Leftist JVP, both backers of the defeated
candidate and former army chief Sarath Fonseka.
"We take this decision to mark our protest to the
exhorbitantly expensive ceremony," deputy leader of the UNP
Karu Jayasuriya said.
In his second reincarnation, a powerful Rajapaksa has
said he wants to turn his island nation into a "wonder of
Asia" and has announced a series of infrastructure projects,
including a USD 1.5-billion port built by the Chinese in his
hometown of Hambantota which he inaugurated yesterday.
"When I came to power I promised an honourable peace
and a new Sri Lanka and I will keep my promise," Rajapakse
said at the opening ceremony.
While pursuing development, he has shrugged off
pressures by the West to link investments to human rights and
turned to countries like Iran, Libya and China for help.
He also rejected allegations that the Sri Lankan army
may have been responsible for substantial civilian deaths
during its final offensive against the LTTE and dismissed
calls for a international investigations into possible war
crimes. PTI CORR
EKA