by Cyril Wimalasurendre
KANDY: The Ven. Rambukwelle Sri Vipassi Mahanayake Thera of Malwatte did not place his signature on Tuesday (29) to the mammoth petition organised by the Sihala Urumaya calling upon the Sri Lanka Government to refrain from holding talks with the (LTTE).

When the Sihala Urumaya national organiser and MP, Champika Ranawake presented the petition to the Ven. Vipassi Mahanayake Thera at his official Aramaya on Tuesday the prelate said he would not place his signature at that time and informed the Sihala Urumaya MP that he would sign it later after having taken a decision at a meeting of the Sangha Sabha.

The Sihala Urumaya MP told the Ven. Mahanayake Thera that any talks with the most vicious LTTE was utterly useless and meaningless because the blood thirsty group could never be trusted.

The LTTE killed in cold blood a large number of national leaders, the Nayake Thera of Dimbulagala, over thirty Bhikkhus at Arantalawa, several thousands of Sinhala, Tamil and Muslims of Sri Lanka and blasted the Sri Dalada Maligawa and the Sri Maha Bodhi the most venerated places of the Buddhist world.

Hence what more talks with the LTTE? he asked.

This is the reason why we tell the government to refrain from holding any organised talks with the LTTE, Champika Ranawake claimed.

Ven. Vipassi Mahanayake Thera said that blunders were committed by the political leadership then and now and by every group or party of politicians.

The Sinhala community of Sri Lanka now suffer the consequences of the folly committed by the politicians, he noted.

People should not be misled to get to high positions, the prelate said adding that the innocent Sinhala people in the far flung villages suffer even this very day due to lack of a genuine development policy implemented by the so called leaders of the nation.

"I do not endorse the tactics of misleading the masses by anyone even if at the risk of my life, the prelate said.

He further said he expected the Sihala Urumaya would do better at the elections. He thought the party would get at least 15 seats in Parliament.

But for some reason or other it did not reach the expectations.

Sihala Urumaya MP earlier paid his homage to the Sacred Tooth Relic at the Sri Dalada Maligawa and had discussions with the Diyawadana Nilame Neranjan Wijeyeratne.

Diyawadana Nilame Neranjan Wijeyeratne placed his signature to the Sihala Urumaya petition.

Deputy Secretary of the organisation Udaya P. Gammanpila and a host of others accompanied MP Champika Ranawake.