February 01, 2007	Thursday	Muharram 12, 1428

COLOMBO: The political party consisting mainly of Buddhist monks, the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) is to join the UPFA government, increasing the government’s newly boosted parliamentary strength from 122 to 113.

The JHU joins members of the main opposition, the United National Party (UNP) and the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) which entered the government last Sunday.

Udaya Gammampilla, administrative secretary of the LTTE bashing party said that a JHU non clergy member, Champika Ranawaka would take oaths on Thursday as Minister of Environment and Natural resources.

Gammampilla denied that the monks had set any pre conditions but said the party has been assured by President Mahinda Rajapakse that terrorism will be fully suppressed.

“What we want is for the government to liberate the Tamil people from the LTTE. We do not have any objections of minority rights being restored”, the party administrative secretary said.

The JHU has been one of the main lobbyists for a total abolishing of the tattered ceasefire agreement with the LTTE.

The monks’ crossing over to the government ranks coincide with yet another peace bid by the international truce monitors, the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM).

“We would never, under any circumstance, engage militarily and simultaneously enter talks,” Tamilchelvam said in a statement on the pro rebel website Tamil Net on Sunday.