CWC said mulling support to UPFA

[TamilNet, Friday, 07 May 2004, 16:40 GMT]
The Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC), one of the constituents of the main opposition United National Front (UNF), is expected to make a final decision on the question of extending its support to the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government on or before Sri Lanka's parliament meets on May 18, reliable CWC sources said Friday.

The CWC leader and a former minister in the then UNF government, Mr.Arumugam Thondaman, last week met with the President, Ms. Chandrika Kumaratunge, in Nuwara Eliya, and held wide ranging discussions regarding the Kandapola shooting in which two upcountry Tamil youths were killed in police firing, political sources said.

Ms.Kumaratunge is reported to have used that opportunity to woo the support of the CWC parliamentarians for her minority government. Both leaders are reported to have discussed in detail the future political strategy to be adopted in the coming days, political sources said.

Commenting on the meeting of two leaders in Nuwara Eliya, a UPFA leader said, " The CWC will be with us very soon and it could be seen in the Deputy Speakers' election."

One UPFA t source said it has noticed a complete shift in the CWC's previous stand in continuing its support to the main opposition UNF.

Mr.V.Suresh, a CWC parliamentarian, said the CWC parliamentary group would decide before May 18 on the question of aligning with the ruling UPFA, sources said.