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Cabinet subcommittee meets tomorrow
View(s):By Chris Kamalendran
The Cabinet Subcommittee on religious harmony will meet tomorrow to draw up recommendations. The Committee headed by senior minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake was appointed in the wake of religious and ethnic tensions in the country and it includes Ministers A.H.M. Fowzie, Maithripala Sirisena, Dinesh Gunawardena, Rauff Hakeem, Wimal Weerawansa, Champika Ranawaka, Arumugam Thondaman, Milroy Fernando, Rishard Bathiudin and A.L.M. Athaullah.
“We have been able to resolve the issue over the controversy over the Halal issue. But in view of incidents faced by the Muslim community we requested that the government take measures to arrest threats to ethnic and religious harmony,” Mr. Fowzie said.
The Cabinet subcommittee meeting is summoned amidst report that President Mahinda Rajapaksa had rejected a call by Minister Hakeem to convene an emergency Cabinet meeting to discuss the latest attack on a leading Muslim business house on Thursday.
SLMC General Secretary Hassan Ali told the Sunday Times that the party leadership was under pressure to withdraw its support to the government.
He said the SLMC-controlled Kalmunai Municipal Council had passed a resolution calling on the party to withdraw its support to the ruling UPFA in the Eastern Provincial Council. The SLMC’s High Command was meeting last night to discuss the current situation.
Meanwhile Police stepped up security in Colombo and its suburbs.
Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police for Western Province Anura Senanayake said strict orders had been given to the police to act sternly against persons who disturb religious and ethnic harmony.
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