REFUGEE

Reliable sources said the UNP National Organizer S.B. Dissanayake and Minister Rajitha Senaratne have held a secret discussion on Sunday (25). The meeting had taken place at the residence of a mutual friend, Sunil and Bhadrani Gunawardena, in Dehiwela, Kalubowila.

Minister Rajitha Senaratne had discussed at length of the support that could be extended from the government ranks to S.B. Dissanayake to contest as the UNP candidate at the next Presidential election and the possible measures to be taken to prevent General Sarath Fonseka from entering into politics.

S.B. had said that the United National Alliance would not be formed before the next election and had requested Rajitha to make the necessary arrangements to give wide publicity through the state media to the internal squabbles in the SLMC over joining the Alliance. SB had also said that even if such an Alliance was formed in a hurry, he had the support of Mano Ganeshan, Rauf Hakeem and a majority of the UNP members to become the party’s next Presidential candidate.

Rajitha had said the President has already made arrangements with media institutions supportive of the government to publish articles supportive of SB becoming the UNP’s Presidential candidate. He had said the articles carried in Wimal Weerawansa’s Heladiva newspaper, Priyantha Kariyapperuma’s Siyatha, Airport and Aviation Chairman Colonel Prasanna Wickremasuriya’s The Nation and Rivira and Thilanga Sumathipala’s Lakbima were following orders issued by the President. Rajitha had also said the President has made arrangements with Dilith Jayaweera to give wide publicity to SB through his TV channel Derana as well.