Sri Lankan Government Rejects Opposition Call to Reconvene ParliamentThe Sri Lankan government has rejected a joint opposition call to reconvene parliament which was prorogued by President Chandrika Kumaratunga till September 7, The Island newspaper said on Friday.The joint opposition comprising 115 members as against the government's 109 members in Parliament has called on the president in a letter to resummon parliament immediately "so as to enable Parliament to exercise its sovereign power entrusted to it by the people". In the aftermath of Tuesday's Tamil rebel attack on the airforce base and the adjoining international airport at Katunayake, some 30 kilometers north of capital Colombo, the opposition parties called for the reconvening of parliament to discuss the national crisis engulfing the country without mentioning the rebel attack. In the letter, the opposition has charged that the president had abused her powers and that the prorogation of parliament was undemocratic and in bad faith. Meanwhile, the government has also decided to go ahead with the referendum on a new constitution due to take place on August 21. Kumaratunga suspended parliament and called for the referendum earlier this month to forestall the most probable passage of a no- confidence motion tabled to the Parliament by opposition last month. |
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