Raja Collure, chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Sri Lanka, said this in a statement issued on Feb. 9 on the occasion of the birth anniversary of leader Kim Jong Il.

The whole world recognizes him as a prominent statesman who led the Korean people in the stormy days of history, the statement said, adding:

He strengthened the country into an impregnable socialist fortress, keeping to the road illumined by President Kim Il Sung.

He built the Workers' Party of Korea as a mighty political organization supported and trusted by the people. It is his great feat.

He devoted himself to the improvement of the people's standard of living.

The groundwork for the self-supporting economy of the country was firmly laid and the DPRK has demonstrated to the whole world its might as politico-ideological power and military power under his leadership.