Former Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, a front-runner for the Joint Opposition's presidential candidacy in 2020, held a meeting with editors of the main Tamil newspapers over the weekend. 

At the meeting, the former Defence Secretary shared its viewpoints on issues and grievances faced by Tamils in the country. 

It is widely believed that the former Defence Secretary had little support from ethnic minorities in the country - mainly Muslims and Tamils. 

The meeting, political observers said, was aimed at "bridging the confidence gap" between the Tamil speaking community and the former Defence Secretary. 

An Editor who attended the meeting said the discussion with the former Defence Secretary was "warm and cordial."