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| Wednesday, 22 October 2003 |
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Politics | |
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| JVP motion against PM's UN speech defeated in WPC by Wyman Hettiarachchi A JVP motion condemning the speech made by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe at the UN General Assembly was defeated yesterday by the PA controlled Western Provincial Council. The motion claimed that the Premier by his speech made at the recent UN General Assembly had caused pain of mind to the Muslim community and was also detrimental to Sri Lanka's foreign policy Significantly all the councilors of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress voted against the motion which was debated over two days. Another noteworthy feature is that Chief Minister Reginald Cooray and several PA councillors were absent at voting time. The motion presented by JVP councillor Lakshman Nipunaarachchi was defeated with 38 voting for and 40 against.Member of the New Left Front Dr.Wickramabahu Karunaratne abstained from voting after heated arguments developed following an amendment proposed by him to the original motion. As soon as the results of voting was announced jubilant UNP councillors started taunting their colleagues in the opposition with comments that the "sandanaya" was over. Speaking against the motion SLMC member A.M. Yusuf said that the motion had been brought in order to hoodwink the Muslim community. He said the there were attempts also to conduct agitation campaigns near mosques but these ended in failure. He saw the motion as a means by which the JVP was trying to obtain political milage. S. M. Shaul Hameed (SLMC) saw the motion as a conspiracy by the JVP while his colleague M. S. M. Aslam asked the JVP as to why it did not speak about the Muslims living in the North and East with the same concern shown to the Iraqi people. |
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