Sajith Calls Mangala A ‘Migratory Bird’
October 12, 2013
Continuing his string of verbal attacks against senior members of his own party, Sajith Premadasa referred to SLFP dissident and former Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera as a migratory bird who was trying to chart the UNP’s future course.
Mangala
“These migratory birds are attempting to violently attack long time UNP activists and supporters,” Premadasa charged at a Hambantota meeting on Friday.
Premadasa called for a disciplinary inquiry against Samaraweera and his supporters for their involvement in the Matara clashes between the pro and anti Ranil factions.
“We cannot just sit and watch while people in our own party are attacked by thugs from within the UNP itself,” he charged.
Samaraweera’s Matara District supporters allegedly disrupted a march calling for UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe’s ouster last Saturday, led by the pro-Premadasa group Maithri Guneratne and Shiral Lakthilake.
Guneratne’s father Herman Guneratne was arrested in connection with a shooting spree in the middle of Matara town, that injured at least three people including a soldier on home leave who has been left partially paralysed due to the shooting.
Govt. Ministers Back Sajith Faction In parliament
October 12, 2013
As the UNP’s home and home clash in Matara last weekend entered the realm of Parliament, with UNP Matara District MP Mangala Samaraweera tabling evidence of his supporters being attacked, Government MPs strongly backed the anti-Ranil faction involved in the violence.
Sajith
UPFA Minister Rohitha Abeygoonewardane praised the Sirasa Media Network and the Mawbima newspaper, run by businessmen Kili Rajamahendran and Tiran Alles who are closely affiliated with theSajith Premadasa faction of the UNP that is agitating for Ranil Wickremesinghe’s removal.
“Sirasa and Mawbima are owed the nation’s thanks for courageously revealing the truth behind the violence,” the Government Minister said, slamming Samaraweera for thuggery and violent tactics.
“The March was a peaceful march – these thugs attacked a peaceful march,” he said.
“Look at some of these faces,” the Minister said, tabling photographs of the violence, “Budu ammo, these are worse than LTTE faces.”
The Minister said that the ITN will be called a Government media, but Sirasa and Mawbima were private channels and therefore credible.
Minister Abeygoonewardane slammed Samaraweera saying he was a conspirator when he was in the SLFP as well.
Minister Jagath Pushpakumara also addressed the House and spoke against Samaraweera’s speech and criticised the former SLFP strongman on Thursday.
Samaraweera told a news conference on Friday that the Government was assisting the Sajith Premadasa faction and the Sirasa and Mawbima media organisations to launch a witch-hunt against him and his supporters in his home district of Matara in a bid to weaken his organisational structure in the region.
