- News>
- Asia
Sri Lanka parliament opens amid ethnic acrimony
Colombo, Apr 23: A rebel-backed party used the opening of Sri Lanka`s parliament on Thursday to slam the new government, highlighting ethnic polarisations in the house as the island struggles to end 20 years of civil war.
Colombo, Apr 23: A rebel-backed party used the opening of Sri Lanka's parliament on Thursday to slam the new government, highlighting ethnic polarisations in the house as the island struggles to end 20 years of civil war.
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) used what is usually a proforma speech congratulating the new speaker to outline Tamil Tiger demands for self-rule in the north and east, adding it was "dissatisfied" with the government for making their Tamil rival a cabinet minister.
"Through the peace initiative we must achieve self-rule. That is the mandate that has been given to the TNA," said parliamentary group leader Rajavorthiam Sampanthan.
"The Tamil people are disappointed and dissatisfied by the act of this government," he said, referring to the appointment of Douglas Devananda, leader of a rival Tamil party who was made a minister after allying with President Chandrika Kumaratunga's United People's Freedom Alliance.
"You have disgraced the Tamil people," he said.
The speech was met with jeers from the government, as many, including Devananda, waved and threw election monitoring reports that accused the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) of vote-rigging and fraud in the April 2 election.
The vote -- the first in which the Tigers explicitly backed the TNA -- was seen as a test of their claim to be the sole representatives of the island's ethnic minority Tamils, and Devananda's election remains a thorn in their side.
The TNA is the third-largest party in parliament with 22 seats, while the fourth is an all-clergy party of Buddhist monks, who responded by pledging to protect the majority Sinhalese, who are predominantly Buddhist.
"We don't accept members of the TNA were elected democratically," said monk Aturaliye Ratana, shaven-headed and dressed in his traditional robes as he addressed parliament.
"Sinhalese people cannot live in the north and east...We have come here to speak about the heritage of the Sinhalese. We have to fight for the rights of Buddhists all over the country," he said.
The island has been observing a truce for more than two years, but peace talks have been on hold since April 2003.
The ousting of the government of former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in favour of the Freedom Alliance was seen as in part as a rejection of his peace efforts, with Kumaratunga taking a harder line on the separatist group.
Bureau Report
"Through the peace initiative we must achieve self-rule. That is the mandate that has been given to the TNA," said parliamentary group leader Rajavorthiam Sampanthan.
"The Tamil people are disappointed and dissatisfied by the act of this government," he said, referring to the appointment of Douglas Devananda, leader of a rival Tamil party who was made a minister after allying with President Chandrika Kumaratunga's United People's Freedom Alliance.
"You have disgraced the Tamil people," he said.
The speech was met with jeers from the government, as many, including Devananda, waved and threw election monitoring reports that accused the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) of vote-rigging and fraud in the April 2 election.
The vote -- the first in which the Tigers explicitly backed the TNA -- was seen as a test of their claim to be the sole representatives of the island's ethnic minority Tamils, and Devananda's election remains a thorn in their side.
The TNA is the third-largest party in parliament with 22 seats, while the fourth is an all-clergy party of Buddhist monks, who responded by pledging to protect the majority Sinhalese, who are predominantly Buddhist.
"We don't accept members of the TNA were elected democratically," said monk Aturaliye Ratana, shaven-headed and dressed in his traditional robes as he addressed parliament.
"Sinhalese people cannot live in the north and east...We have come here to speak about the heritage of the Sinhalese. We have to fight for the rights of Buddhists all over the country," he said.
The island has been observing a truce for more than two years, but peace talks have been on hold since April 2003.
The ousting of the government of former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in favour of the Freedom Alliance was seen as in part as a rejection of his peace efforts, with Kumaratunga taking a harder line on the separatist group.
Bureau Report