Sri Lanka's monk party to join government

Sri Lanka's all Buddhist Monk party the JHU, or the Heritage Party, is to take up position in the cabinet of President Mahinda Rajapakse, a senior party official said Wednesday.

JHU legislator Omalpe Sobhitha told reporters that he will be resigning his parliamentary seat on Thursday enabling the party's policy maker Champika Ranawaka to replace him.

"Ranawaka will take oaths as the minister of environment later, " Sobhitha said.

The JHU, which has nine seats in the 225-member parliament, sat in the opposition benches ever since being elected to parliament in April 2004.

However, they supported Rajapakse in the presidential election of November 2005 making a vital contribution to his narrow victory.

With the JHU's support, the government's parliamentary strength will rise up to 121 without the support of the main left party, the JVP or the People's Liberation Front.

On Sunday, some 18 members from the main opposition, the United National Party (UNP), joined Rajapakse providing him with the parliamentary majority without the support of the JVP.

The JHU blamed the JVP for its intransigence in not joining Rajapakse which had led to Rajapakse's accommodation of members from his arch-rival, the UNP.

The JHU, which is regarded as representing the hardliners of the majority Sinhala community, supports Rajapakse in his military action against Tamil Tiger rebels.

Source: Xinhua