No confidence motion against Defence Minister defeated

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 18 February 2003, 17:21 GMT]
The no confidence motion moved by the opposition against the Defence Minister Mr.Tilak Marapane was defeated by a majority of forty-two votes Tuesday. 84 opposition parliamentarians voted for the motion and 126 parliamentarians against the motion, said parliamentary sources.

Of the 126 parliamentarians voting against the no confidence motion, 112 were from the ruling United National Front. 12 were TNA parliamentarians and two were from Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP) led by its leader Mr. Douglas Devananda and People Liberation Organization of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE), sources said.

84 parliamentarians from opposition parties the Sri Lanka Freedom party and Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna voted for the motion.

Former Deputy Defence Minister General Anurudha Ratwatte came to parliament under heavy escort and voted for the no-confidence motion, sources said.

General Ratwatte is an accused in the Udathalawinne massacre case in which twenty-one accused including Ratwatte's sons Rohan and Chanuka are indicted by the Attorney General. The High Court Tuesday gave permission to the prison authorities to take General Ratwatte to parliament for voting, sources said