Abducted JHU MP tenders resignation

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 18 May 2004, 17:22 GMT]
Venerable Kataluwe Ratnaseeha Thera, the abducted monk parliamentarian of the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), Tuesday personally handed over his resignation letter to the Secretary General of the parliament, parliamentary sources said.

The Speaker Mr.W.J.M.Lokkubandara Tuesday evening confirmed the resignation by the JHU parliamentarian, according Colombo media sources.

Venerable Ratnaseeha Thera was one of the two JHU monk parliamentarians who supported the candidate of the ruling United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) in the election of Speaker in defiance of the JHU leadership decision to maintain neutral in the contest, sources said.

These two JHU monk parliamentarians went into hiding several days before the election of the Speaker. They were present on the day when the new parliament met on April 22 to elect new Speaker, sources said.

The JHU leadership charged then that some leaders of the UPFA were behind the hiding of their two MPs.

Venerable Ratnaseeha Thera, one of these two MPs was allegedly abducted by a group of unidentified persons on Monday night when he was in his temple talking to some persons who came in a vehicle. According to the complaint lodged at the Moratuwa Police, the persons who came in a vehicle had kidnapped the Bhikku MP, sources said.

UPFA minister Mr. Jeyaraj Fernandopulle raised this matter Tuesday in parliament and the Speaker promised to look into the complaint, sources said.

However, it was reported later that the kidnapped monk MP had appeared in parliament Tuesday evening and handed his resignation letter to the Secretary General of the parliament, media sources said.