TNA's participation in Independence Day:

Minister takes on hardliners

by P. Krishnaswamy

Certain sections of the pro-LTTE diaspora and Tamil hardliners here who protested against TNA leader R.Sampanthan's participation in the national Independence Day celebrations in Colombo came under fire from cabinet spokesman and Health and Indigenous Medicine Minister Dr.Rajitha Senaratne.

The TNA participated in the Independence Day celebrations as a gesture of goodwill because it is working closely with the new national unity government of President Maithripala Sirisena and because democracy and freedom of the Tamils in the North and the East have now been fully restored, with prospects of all their outstanding problems getting resolved soon, the Minister said.

History bears witness to the fact that not only the Sinhala leaders but also Tamil leaders such as Sir Ponnambalam Ramanathan and Sir Ponnambalam Arunachalam fought for the country's independence and everyone today wants this tradition of national unity and harmony to continue for the well-being of all citizens, he said. Those working on the agenda of political groups for their narrow political goals should denounce doing so in the best interests of national unity and harmony, the Minister said.