JVP pressure led to expulsion, says Kajendran

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 May 2007, 01:32 GMT]
"Speaker of Sri Lanka Parliament W.J.M.Lokubandara despite being advised by Chief Government Whip, Jeyraj Fernandopulle, that Parliament Standing Orders allow parliamentarians freedom to make comments, succumbed to the pressure exerted by the extremist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) in expelling me from the parliament," Selvarajah Kajendran, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian told TamilNet speaking on his eviction from the Parliament Thursday for making comments on the air attack by the LTTE.

During the Emergency debate in Sri Lanka Parliament Wednesday Mr. Kajendran had said "Our Air force would be used to attack enemy targets."

Mr Kajendran was asked to leave the parliament for a day for refusing to apologize as demanded by the Speaker.

Kajendran told TamilNet: "For more than two hours Thursday, the Speaker, supported by the Chief Whip, took the stand that MPs are free to make controversial comments. But due to the heckling and verbal assaults by the JVP members, the speaker demanded an apology from me, and finally asked me to leave.

"I maintained that my comments were the result of many of my relatives getting injured by air attacks by Sri Lanka Air Force. The attack by the air-tigers will pre-empt further SLAF attacks and provide safety to Tamil people. I also regard all who attack my people are my enemies," Kajendran told TamilNet.

"Nothing I said violates 6th Amendement to the constitution. If speaking in support of safeguarding the life and property of Tamil people is construed as supporting secession, then how are the Sinhala politicians ever going to find a peaceful solution to the long festering ethnic conflict?" Kajendran asked.

Kajendran said no sooner he returned to his residence Thursday he received phone calls threatening his life.

He added that he anticipates a stormy session Friday with additional pressure on him to make an apology. "Sinhala extremists are angry that I have not agreed to apologize. I have told the house that I did not intend to hurt the feelings of Sinhala people when I made the statement. That is where I would like to leave the matter," Kajendran said.

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