Batticaloa MPs decline dinner invitation

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 17 March 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The three TULF MPs from the Batticaloa district, Mr. Joseph Pararajasingham, P. Selvarajah and K. Thurairajasingham decided to keep away from a dinner for the government Parliamentary group hosted by Sri Lankan President this evening against the wishes of the party's secretary general Mr. R. Sampanthan.

They said that TULF MPs have not accepted the President's invitation in the past as attending the dinner would be tantamount to acknowledging that the party is part of the PA government's parliamentary group.

Ex-militant groups, the EPDP and the PLOTE regularly attend the dinner hosted by the President for her Parliamentary group.

The TULF had a discussion over the issue this afternoon as differences in opinion about attending this evening's function had arisen among the party MPs.

Mr. Sampanthan had insisted that he will go for the dinner as the party had to honour the President's invitation.

But the Batticaloa MPs insisted that the TULF should not attend the dinner because of the deteriorating situation in the northeast for which the PA regime is responsible.

However, party sources said that Dr. Neelan Thiruchelvam and Mr. R. Sampanthan are expected to join the PA parliamentary group for dinner tonight.