UPFA observes May Day in east, UNP prayer at Kelaniya Vihare

[TamilNet, Thursday, 01 May 2008, 06:52 GMT]
The May Day of the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government led by Mahinda Rajapaksa is being held at Dehiyatttakandiya in Ampaarai district for the first time outside Colombo. Earlier the UPFA decided to hold its May Day rally at Ampaa'rai town. Later it changed the venue to Dehiyattakandiya sans procession due to security reasons, party sources said. The main opposition United National Party (UNP) first decided to hold its May Day rally in Kurunagala town in the northwestern province without procession. Later it canceled the rally and decided to observe prayer at Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihare.

The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) that has been experiencing intra-party rife has decided to hold its May Day rally at Colombo Town Hall premises without a procession.

The Ceylon Workers Congress, one of the constituents of the ruling UPFA has decided to hold its May Day rally at Hatton in Nuwara Eliya district presided by Minister Arumugan Thondaman who is a minister in the Rajapaksa cabinet.

Upcountry Peoples Front (UPF), another constituent of the ruling UPFA has decided to hold its May Day rally at Bandarawela presided by its leader Periyasamy Chandrasekaran who is also a minister in the UPFA government.