‘TNA should participate in PSC’

Nadira GUNATILLEKE

Acting Cabinet Spokesman Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena said it is the duty of the Opposition Leader to bring the TNA Leader to the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) appointed to solve the ethnic issue. He is a reputed and prominent politician.

Therefore he can do it. The Opposition Leader stated that the UNP will take part in the PSC if the government invites them.

The invitation has already been extended. Justice Minister Rauf Hakeem said he will hold discussions with the TNA and make arrangements to get their agreement to participate in the PSC, Acting Media Minister and Acting Cabinet spokesman Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena said.

Addressing the weekly Cabinet press briefing held at the Government Information Department Auditorium yesterday, the Acting Minister said that the best ever May Day rally conducted by the United Peoples Freedom Alliance ( UPFA) was held on May 1, this year under the theme ‘Country First’ with over one million people gathering from all parts of the country. All constituent political parties of the UPFA joined the rally with a large number of people attending.

He said the government wishes to thank TNA Leader R.Sampanthan for displaying the National flag during the May Day rally held in Jaffna. The government is very happy because the Opposition was able to hold a May Day rally in Jaffna without any trouble. In the past it was not possible to hold even a meeting there. The world saw that Jaffna is safe and stable.

According to Acting Minister Yapa, Ten foreign delegations from the international community visited Sri Lanka from January to April this year, including the Indian Parliamentary delegation. Now nobody can say that they do not know about the real ground situation in Sri Lanka. The government is very happy about these visits. All foreign delegations saw for themselves how development work is being carried out by the Sri Lankan government in the North and East and how resettlement has almost been complete, the Acting Minister said.

The foreign delegations and dignitaries that visited Sri Lanka from January to April this year are the Emir of the State of Qatar, Indian External Affairs Minister, Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister, Palestine President, Indian Parliamentary delegation, Seychelles Foreign Minister, Israel Foreign Ministry delegation, Austrian Foreign Affairs Minister and State Secretary, European Parliamentary delegation and the Deputy Prime Minister of Japan, the Acting Minister added.