He made the proposal to the Eastern Provincial Council at its meeting, urging that the EPC brought up the matter to the attention of the president.
The chairman of the EPC said the request would be taken up at the next meeting of the EPC as a motion.
Speaking further, the EPC opposition leader said that by opposing and criticizing the resolution and the countries that have sponsored it, the country’s reputation has suffered immensely.
Stressing that it is the dignity of the motherland that has to be safeguarded, not the images of the president or the ministers, he said that the entire world was leveling charges against Sri Lanka for failing to protect human rights.
We cannot make enemies of the US – which has been a close friend of Sri Lanka in the post-independence era – Europe or India, he said, and questioned the call by minister Wimal Weerawansa to boycott US products, and noted that every computer-related activity has to be stopped if the call is to be heeded.
Why isn’t he asking the president not to use the two US-built helicopters he had imported for his family’s use at a cost of Rs. 2,000 million of public money? Mr. Gamage asked.
When the EPC opposition leader ridiculed economic development minister Basil Rajapaksa’s statement recently that Sri Lanka would soon be giving aid to America, ruling members interrupted his speech.
The chairman of the council brought the situation under control after much effort.
Mr. Gamage went onto say that there are examples within the Eastern Province of blatant human rights violations, one of them being the murder of chief minister Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan’s private secretary Nandagopan who was abducted in a high security zone.
However, it is sad to say that the chief minister has up to now failed to find out who the killers are, he said.
The government has denied the citizen’s right to live due to its inability to find wrongdoers, he said.
Nothing has been heard about the hundreds of people who had been abducted in white vans, and the law and human rights are being deliberately violated.
He also referred to the fates of journalists Prageeth Ekneligoda and Lasantha Wickramatunga, the killing of a British tourist and the rape of his companion at a Tangalle hotel, attempted abduction of Kolonnawa Urban Council chairman, grease devil fear psychosis and said all these are being closely watched by the outside world.
SLM