British govt under flak -Thera

Tennakoon Kulasekera and S T B Senaratne -NCP special corr

"Law abiding British citizens have expressed displeasure about the UK government's stand of supporting the anti-Sri Lanka resolution tabled by US at the UNHRC session", said Ven Kassapa Thera, a British monk.

He was delivering an anusasana at the Adhishtana pooja held at the Anuradhapura Ruwanweliseya premises on Wednesday to invoke blessings on the President, country and the people to defeat the anti-Sri Lanka resolution tabled by US at the UNHRC.

Ven Kassapa Thera said that eventhough he is an Englishman by birth he considered himself a Sri Lankan after his ordination as a Buddhist monk. Ven Kassapa said Sri Lankans have always been believers in non-violence.

Sri Lanka and its people had faced injustice at the hands of the British during the colonial period and once again Britain seems to have repeated that historical wrong by supporting the anti-Sri Lanka resolution. Ven Kassapa Thera said, the ordinary public never condoned the British government's stand on the anti-Sri Lanka resolution or the Western policy of destabilizing the Third World countries.

Ven Kassapa Thera said he was extremely pleased to participate in an Adhishtana pooja held at the historic Ruwanweliseya in Anuradhapura to invoke blessings on the President and the country.

Earlier, Ruwanweli Cetiyaramadhipati Ven Pallegama Hemaratana Thera said in an anusasana people throughout the country have cast aside all petty differences and rallied round to safeguard the President, government, Security Forces and the country from the threats posed by sinister international forces. History recorded instances where adhishtana poojas of this nature had been a blessing to the country in times of internal calamities such as famines as well as foreign threats. Agrarian Services and Wildlife Minister S M Chandrasena who organized the Adhishtana pooja also spoke.