UNF urges SL President to reconvene parliament

[TamilNet, Thursday, 06 November 2003, 11:49 GMT]
United National Front(UNF) government spokesman and Minister of Constitutional Affairs Mr. G.L.Peiris said Thursday that the President should summon the parliament immediately and to restore the three ministries to Ministers Mr.Tilak Marapone, Mr.John Amaratunge and Mr.Imtiaz Bakir Markar. "The government would decide on the future course of action once the Prime Minister returns home," said Mr.Peiris at the press briefing held Thursday afternoon, media sources said

The Cabinet, which met Wednesday evening, discussed in detail the political uncertainty currently prevailing in the country following the dismissal of three ministers and two-week suspension of parliament by the President

The UNF Wednesday sent a request to the President with the signatures of about 127 parliamentarians expressing confidence on the government led by Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe and requesting her to summon parliament, sources said.

The UNF is to move a vote of confidence on the Ranil Wickremasinghe led government once the parliament is reconvened, sources said.

Mr.Peiris said the government sees no reason for the declaration of the State of Emergency in the country at this juncture. The emergency declaration has made the country destabilized.

The state of emergency widens the powers of the president and military and includes bans on public assembly and detention for up to one year without charges. It gives sweeping powers to security forces to arrest and detain suspects, civil rights sources said.

Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe will arrive in Colombo Friday around 8.30 a.m., UNF sources said.

In the meantime, speculation is rife in Colombo political circles that the People's Alliance parliamentarian and a former Minister, Mr.Jeyaraj Fernandopulle, is likely to be present at the airport Friday to receive Mr.Ranil Wickremasinghe and express his desire to join the UNF.

Mr. Fernandopulle was a minister in the then PA government and he resigned his Katana electorate organizer post of the PA due to differences with President Ms. Chandrika Kumaratunge, sources said.