NFF condemns Ranil's statement

Dharma Sri Abeyratne

COLOMBO: Though the Opposition Leader has a great responsibility to safeguard the dignity of the country he always tries to tarnish its image while on foreign visits, Parliamentarian Piyasiri Wijenayake told a press briefing held by National Freedom Front (NFF) yesterday.

"No one has the right to ruin the image of the country. The Opposition Leader has made a treacherous statement during the recent visit to India which is a betrayal of both the valiant Security Forces and the country." Wijenayake said.

Ranil Wickremesinghe's intention is to strengthen the LTTE which has been weakened by ongoing military operations, he charged.

"The LTTE has been limited to the Wanni area with the Wanni operations in full swing.

"The intention of the Opposition Leader is clear, he wants to safeguard the LTTE since the LTTE is on its last legs.

Therefore, every patriotic person has to take action against the treacherous statement", Wijenayake said.

On Lanka's GSP Plus status, some representatives from the European Union are trying to force the Sri Lankan Government on some issues such as human rights, disarming the armed groups in the Eastern area, he added. "But no one has a right to intervene in the internal matters since signing trade agreements is an internal matter of Sri Lanka".

He said that the relevant Government officers have failed to get timely action regarding the Teachers' and Principals' services salary anomalies.

Instead of rectifying the salary anomalies the Educational authorities have taken a decision to close down schools for two days.

"The salary anomalies have to be rectified with immediate effect aiming to normalise the school system while the GCE Advanced Level is at hand", he pointed out.