Sinhala Buddhists want Norway out

[TamilNet, Friday, 22 October 2004, 01:45 GMT]
Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), the powerful Sinhala Buddhist nationalist party in Sri Lanka's Parliament, Thursday launched an islandwide campaign to get ten million signatures to persuade President Chandrika Kumaratunga to reject peace talks with the Liberation Tigers. The Sinhala nationalist campaign also exhorts Colombo to unequivocally reject the LTTE's proposal for an Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA) for the northeast.

The Tigers say their proposal for an interim arrangement is meant to further improve the living conditions of the Tamils living in Northeast provincial council today.

JHU also placed another demand through the protest campaign to remove Norway from its facilitator role in the peace process.

JHU's parliamentarians Rev. Athuriliyae Rathana thera, Rev. Omalpay Shobitha thera and Rev. Akmemana Dayarathna thera signed the petition to kick off the campaign under the Bodhi tree in Colombo Fort Thursday afternoon.

JHU parliamentarian Rev. Athuriliyae Rathna thera signing the petition

JHU parliamentarian Omalpay Shobitha thera signing the petition