CFA: Most UNPers in the dark - Ferial

Former Housing and Construction Minister Ferial Ashraff yesterday said the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission officials did nothing other than taking down notes when a CFA violation took place.

She said the UNF Government Chief Government Whip led by Premier Ranil Wickremesinghe was not aware of a Ceasefire Agreement which had already been signed by the Government and the LTTE.

She said that the majority in the UNP Government was in the dark about the CFA when it was questioned in Parliament.

Ashraff stressed the need of having institutional arrangement to address the issues that may have led to ethnic tension.

She said that there should be an institutional arrangement in the form of a national body to address the grievances that may end up with ethnic tension.

The former Minister said the Muslim community is always prepared to co-exist with the people of other communities.

"The Muslim people are living together with other communities peacefully". She said Muslim priests promote co-existence through Friday sermons.

She said the Muslim people affected by the tsunami in 2004 are still in temporary shelters in the district and they feel that they have been marginalized by the Government.

The people in the Ampara district are under the impression that no major development project was launched in the district after the Gal Oya irrigation project, she added. CP