Colombo: President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Monday told his political rivals not to internationalise Sri Lanka`s problems and instead look to settle them internally.
"Some go to India and utter different things while others go to US and do same," Rajapaksa told a public gathering today in the hill country resort of Nuwara Eliya.
He was referring to the current visit to India by the main opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe and a delegation of the main Tamil party, TNA who is on a tour of the US.
"I don`t want to talk about the Western nations who preach to us about the values," Rajapaksa said.
He said that Sri Lankans must talk to their government to find solutions to issues than confronting them, in an obvious reference to the August 1 incident at Weliweriya.
At least three people were killed while 30 others were injured as the Army was called in to quell public protests by villagers clamouring for clean drinking water.
The government came in for local and international criticism for the armed crackdown on the unarmed villagers.
"People must engage with the government in order to look for solutions and not clash with it," the President said.
Meanwhile the main opposition UNP today reiterated its demand for an international investigation into the Weliweriya incident.
"We call upon the government to allow for an international investigation rather than attempting to cover it up," Tissa Attanayake, UNP general secretary said.
PTI
