rapa
01-17-2007, 05:06 PM
The JHU yesterday stressed the importance of Indian support to resolve the national question. A JHU delegation met Indian High Commissioner Alok Prasad at his office yesterday to brief him on the present situation of the ethnic conflict and highlight the need to maintain the longstanding goodwill between the two countries.
Ven. Ellawala Medhananda Thera told the Daily Mirror after the meeting his party wanted to explain the real picture of the problem, especially in the light of the TNA’s efforts to project Sri Lanka negatively in India recently. A TNA delegation headed by its leader R. Sampanthan met Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh recently to brief India about the plight of the Tamil people while seeking his support to restrain the government. Ven. Medhananda Thera said they did not expect India to be involved unnecessarily in the matter, but to cooperate with Sri Lanka in the task.
He told the High Commissioner that Sri Lankans were never inimical to India in their cultural and commercial dealings with India in the ancient past. JHU parliamentary group leader Ven. Aturaliye Ratana Thera told the meeting it was impossible for anyone to realise the true nature of the problem of Tamils or Sri Lanka by listening to the TNA as they were political puppets of the LTTE.
Having listened to the JHU delegation, Mr. Prasad pledged to inform all these matters to the Indian Prime Minister in the future, Ven.Medhananda Thera said. The High Commissioner also expressed his willingness to continue the cordial dialogue in the future. Mr. Prasad said his father had worked in Sri Lanka as an Administrative Officer, had his education in Royal College, and therefore was well-versed in Sinhala.
He also said his wife was a devoted Buddhist, and had a special liking for Sri Lanka where ‘Theravada Buddhism and Buddhist culture flourished.
Ven. Ellawala Medhananda Thera told the Daily Mirror after the meeting his party wanted to explain the real picture of the problem, especially in the light of the TNA’s efforts to project Sri Lanka negatively in India recently. A TNA delegation headed by its leader R. Sampanthan met Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh recently to brief India about the plight of the Tamil people while seeking his support to restrain the government. Ven. Medhananda Thera said they did not expect India to be involved unnecessarily in the matter, but to cooperate with Sri Lanka in the task.
He told the High Commissioner that Sri Lankans were never inimical to India in their cultural and commercial dealings with India in the ancient past. JHU parliamentary group leader Ven. Aturaliye Ratana Thera told the meeting it was impossible for anyone to realise the true nature of the problem of Tamils or Sri Lanka by listening to the TNA as they were political puppets of the LTTE.
Having listened to the JHU delegation, Mr. Prasad pledged to inform all these matters to the Indian Prime Minister in the future, Ven.Medhananda Thera said. The High Commissioner also expressed his willingness to continue the cordial dialogue in the future. Mr. Prasad said his father had worked in Sri Lanka as an Administrative Officer, had his education in Royal College, and therefore was well-versed in Sinhala.
He also said his wife was a devoted Buddhist, and had a special liking for Sri Lanka where ‘Theravada Buddhism and Buddhist culture flourished.