Singapore PM congratulates Mahinda Rajapaksa on election win

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has written to his Sri Lankan counterpart Mahinda Rajapaksa to congratulate him on his election victory.

In a letter dated 11 August, Lee said Singapore and Sri Lanka enjoy “warm and friendly relations, underpinned by longstanding economic and people-to-people ties”.

“As our countries commemorate 50 years of diplomatic relations this year, I look forward to working with you to strengthen our cooperation, and to lay the groundwork for the next 50 years of our relationship,” he added.

“Please accept my best wishes for your good health, and for Sri Lanka’s success in the fight against COVID-19.”

Rajapaksa led the Sri Lanka People’s Front party in securing a two-thirds majority in the 5 August Parliamentary Election, consolidating his brother Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s victory in the Presidential Election last year.

The brothers built their political careers as nationalist champions of the majority Sinhalese Buddhist community.

They are best known for crushing ethnic minority Tamil separatist insurgents who battled for decades for a homeland in the island’s North And East. (Channel News Asia.com)