Sri Lanka Freedom Party – M (Mahajana wing) leader, Mangala Samaraweera MP, said that the Sri Lankan government is giving an image of a dictatorial regime to the west by inviting dictators to the country on official visits. The military dictator of Myanmar, general Than Shwe, came to Sri Lanka on an official visit on Thursday. He is the one who jailed Aung San Sukie, who won a democratic election in 1989, he said.

Former Foreign Minister Samaraweera said that this dictator from Myanmar who was responsible for the massacre of over 1000 Buddhist monks is also to be shown a special exposition of the Tooth Relic at the Dalada Maligawa.

"As true SLFPers, we vehemently condemn President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s government’s stand and relations with dictatorial governments in the world. President Rajapaksa is also becoming a dictator here and it’s one reason for his connections with dictators all over the world," he said.

Samaraweera said: President Rajapaksa said at a recent TV interview, that one third of countries were with the Sri Lankan government as shown at the recent vote at the United Nations Human Rights Council sessions in Geneva. According to the Central Bank report, those 29 countries which voted for Sri Lanka only gave Rs. 1476 million as loans or grants. It is a 3.76 per cent of total loans or grants received by Sri Lanka in 2008. The other countries which voted against Sri Lanka provide of Rs. 19,316 million and it was 49 per cent. As it is relations between these poor and dictatorial regimes is of no use to this country.