Archives

by Rajmi Manatunga

The National Bhikku Convention will launch an islandwide protest rally opposing the Government's move to deproscribe the LTTE and setting up an interim administration in the North and East through what they called as 'one-sided peace talks' in Thailand.

Chairman of the Convention Ven. Ellavala Medhananda Thera told media that the Government has disgraced the Sacred Tooth of Buddha and degraded the Maha Sangha and Buddhist community of the country by lifting the ban on LTTE imposed in 1998 following the attack on the Sacred Temple in Kandy.

"It is evident that the Government is not ready to listen to anybody including the President and the Maha Sangha country except the LTTE which try to get their international ban lifted through the local deproscription. Nowhere in the world has a small country like Sri Lanka been governed by separate administrations. We do not believe in peace achieved through discussions with a terrorist organisation that is not willing to withdraw from Ealam and lay down arms before talks", he said.

The protest rally which will commence from the Kalutara Bodhi on September 15 will reach Kandy by September 19 after protests and 'Adhishtana meditations' in Moratuwa, Colombo, Gampaha and Kegalle.

The Convention also charged that the Government delegation for the Thailand peace talks did not represent the majority Sinhala community while there was a representative for the Muslims.

"There is no representative for the common Tamil people either as the LTTE delegation will represent only the LTTE", the Bhikkus said adding that only the Executive President who has already opposed the deban can establish an interim administration in the North. 

News | Business | Features | Editorial | Security
Politics | World | Letters | Sports | Obituaries |

Produced by Lake House
Copyright 2001 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
Comments and suggestions to :Web Manager