TNA MPs bring Heroes' Day event to Lanka's parliament

[TamilNet, Saturday, 27 November 2004, 15:06 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians Saturday around 6.35 evening (Wanni time) created history in the Sri Lanka's parliament by lighting the flame of sacrifice to mark the conclusion of the Heroes Day (Maveerar Week), parliamentary sources said.

Twenty-one TNA parliamentarians except Mr.M.K.Sivajilingam soon after the vote on the maiden budget of the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) was taken, came out of the parliament building to the grounds outside and started lighting the flame of sacrifice at 6.35 p.m. following the delivery of the annual message by the leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Mr.V.Pirapaharan.

Immediately the security personnel of the parliament rushed to the site and queried TNA parliamentarians what they were doing. They replied that they lighting the flame of sacrifice for LTTE martyrs who died in the Tamil freedom struggle of the LTTE. Parliamentary security personnel did not interfere with the symbolic event and left thearea, parliamentary sources said.

Few minutes later Mr.Jeyaraj Fernandopulle, Minister of the UPFA government who also came out of the parliamentary complex went to the site and inquired from the TNA MPs what they were doing. TNA gave the same reply and Mr.Jeyaraj Fernandopulle also left the area without any response, parliamentary sources said.