Removing Army From Mahinda Rajapaksa’s Security Poses Major Threat to His Life States Prof G.L . Peiris

Posted by on

By Dasun Edirisinghe

The Joint Opposition yesterday said removing the army commandos from former President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s security contingent posed a major threat to his life, while several moves had been made to revive LTTE activities.

Addressing the media at the Dr N. M. Perera Centre in Borella, former External Affairs Minister Prof. G. L. Peiris said the government should reveal the reason for removing commandos from the former President’s security squad.

Rajapaksa’s security had been reduced thought suicide jackets had been found in Jaffna recently, Prof. Peiris said.

“There is a revival of the LTTE, but the government removed the army security from former President who was the main target of the LTTE,” Prof. Peiris said.

He said Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe had threatened media and journalists in Parliament by naming them.

Prof. Peiris said the Prime Minister threatened to take journalists to the police.

“No other Prime Minister made such threats to media,” said Prof. Peiris, adding that the government wanted to silence journalists who exposed the government’s wrongdoings.

The former External Affairs Minister said the government had increased the VAT illegally. If it had wanted to increase it to 15% it should have obtained approval for it through an Act of Parliament not gazette notifications.

Prof. Peiris said the government was planing to do away with the Prevention of Terrorism Act to please the UNHRC as its next session would take place in July.

He said postponing elections had become a government policy.

Colombo District MP Bandula Gunawardena said that when questions were raised in Parliament as to why the army security provided to the former President had been withdrawn the Prime Minister had directed the question to Minister Sarath Fonseka, who had nothing to do with the subject.

“Now, we know why Fonseka has been brought in though he lost the general election,” he said.

Gunawardena said President Maithripala Sirisena had publicly promised not to increase VAT and sack those who enforced unbearable taxes on people, but the Finance Minister ignored the President and increased the tax.

Former Minister Prof. Tissa Vitharana, Anuradhapura District MP Weerakumara Dissanayake and Ratnapura District MP Ranjith de Zoysa also addressed the media.

Courtesy:The Island