Kumaratunge speech avoids reference to presidential polls

[TamilNet, Thursday, 29 September 2005, 15:19 GMT]
In the first public rally attended by Sri Lanka's President Chandrika Kumaratunge since her return from the UN annual general meeting in New York on Tuesday, she avoided making statements in support of her party's Presidential candidate Premier Mahinda Rajapakse, sources said. The public rally was held to relaunch the Sri Lanka Transport Board at Nittambuwa on Wednesday.

Hundreds of party supporters were present waiting to hear Ms Kumaratunge's views with regard to the forthcoming Presidential polls in November.

However, she spoke only on the history of the Sri lanka Transport Board which was first launched by her father and the late Prime Minister S.W.R.D.Bandaranaike in the mid fifties.

The SLTB's functions came to a standstill when the late J.R.Jayawardena government permitted the private sector to operate the bus services in the early eighties, she said.

Political observers said that her silence was likely intended as a message to her party supporters of her reservations about Presidential candidate Mahinda Rajapakse.