Dhammaloka Thera extends support to Wickremasinghe

[TamilNet, Thursday, 27 October 2005, 15:20 GMT]
Venerable Uduwe Dhammaloka Thera, the former General Secretary of the Sinhala extremist Buddhist Monks party opposed to the Cease Fire Agreement and the Post-Tsunami Jonit Mechanism deal, has extended his personal support as an independent parliamentarian to the Sri Lankan opposition leader and the presidential candidate, Mr. Ranil Wickramsinghe Thursday. Dhammaloka Thera said that he has signed an agreement of 13 proposals with Wickremesinghe on safeguarding the state religion Buddhism, and addressing to several key issues in the country. He informed about his decision to support Wickramsinghe at a press briefing held at the J. R. Jeyawardene Centre in Colombo.

Meanwhile, another JHU parliamentarian Ven Athureliye Ratna Thera has severely criticised Ven. Dammaloka's stance on supporting UNP candidate Ranil Wickremesinghe.

Speaking at the conference Ven.Dammaloka Thera said that it was Wickremesinghe who could solve the island's hard hitting problems.

"The SLFP candidate and his allies the JVP and the JHU have no proper plans to uplift the country and to solve the ethnic crisis. The JVP's stance would take the country backward and destroy all the resources", Dhammaloka said.