Reiterating the Government's firm commitment towards eradicating terrorism in all its forms, President Mahinda Rajapaksa in Geneva appealed to all Sri Lankans domiciled and employed abroad to take the lead to counter the LTTE's false and malicious propaganda.

President Rajapaksa who met a group of Sri Lankans in Switzerland emphasised the importance of Sri Lankan migrant population's contribution in portraying the truth to the world.

Adding that the LTTE was doing its utmost to tarnish Sri Lanka's image abroad by distorting facts and using its stooges to portray a wrong picture, the President said it was the duty of all migrants to help portray the true picture of Sri Lanka to the international community.

A large number of Sri Lankans including many Tamils who had travelled to Geneva to meet the President from all over Europe had conveyed the LTTE's false propaganda tactics and vowed to set up an effective mechanism to counter it with the support of all migrant Sri Lankans.

There are a large number of Sri Lankans employed abroad in addition to the significant number who are domiciled in various parts of the globe. Last year alone 2.8 per cent of the labour force had migrated for foreign employment and there has been a three per cent rise this year.

The Sri Lankan migrant population can contribute in a significant way to portray the country's image internationally and it is the duty of relevant officials both local and abroad to harness this massive manpower potential in this direction.