COLOMBO, June 10: All opposition parties have decided to prepare a petition with signatures of 118 members of parliament, asserting their majority as opposed to the 107 members of the government of President Kumaratunga.
The petition is to be submitted to the president by Speaker W. J. M. Lokubandara, a senior member of the chief opposition party, the United National Front. This decision was taken at an opposition leaders' meeting on Tuesday's in the aftermath of one of the worst ever brawls in parliament on the swearing in of a Buddhist monk parliamentarian of the nationalist Jathika Hela Urumaya party.
Meanwhile, the Tamil National Alliance in an interview said that they would support any move against the government as they did not believe that peace talks with the LTTE would be a reality.
INJURED MONKS: Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse visited the hospital where he apologized on behalf of the government to two parliamentarian monks who were heavily injured in the worst-ever melee witnessed in parliament.
Pandemonium reigned in parliament on Tuesday morning when the newly nominated parliamentarian of the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), Venerable Akmeemana Thera, was invited by Speaker W.J.M. Lokkubandara to take oaths.
