JHU MPs fast against Joint Mechanism

[TamilNet, Monday, 06 June 2005, 16:24 GMT]
Monks belonging to Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), ultra-Sinhala nationalist party of Buddhist monks, began fast unto death in front of the historic Dalada Maligawa in the hill town of Kandy, demanding the government of Sri Lanka to reject signing the Joint Mechanism, the proposed agreement with the Liberation Tigers regarding the rehabilitation and reconstruction of tsunami destroyed coastal areas in the Northeast province, sources in Kandy said.

Venerable Athuraliya Ratana Thera, JHU parliamentary group leader, JHU parliamentarian Venerable Omalpe Sobitha Thera, and four Buddhist monks participated in the first day of fasting.

The fasting is expected to continue until the Sri Lanka government drops its plan to sign a Joint Mechanism (JM) with the LTTE, JHU sources said.

Meanwhile, the National Bhikku Front announced at a press briefing Monday in Colombo that they will also launch fast unto death campaign on 8 June against the signing of the JM with the LTTE, sources said.