President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday intervened to end the death fast by Cabinet Minister and National Freedom Front (NFF) leader Wimal Weerawansa – thus settling the unprecedented row between Sri Lanka, the United Nations and the international community.
The President who was in Kandy flew to Colombo and around 4.30 p.m. arrived at the UN compound site where Mr.Weerawansa was on the third day of his death fast.
The President first spoke to Mr. Weerawansa’s daughter, asking her: “Do you want to take your father home? You will be able to take him now.”
Then he walked up to Mr. Weerawansa and offered him a glass of water which the minister drank to end the fast.
Mr. Weerwansa was then taken in an ambulance to the Army hospital where he is being treated at the intensive care unit.
Earlier in the day, Defence Secretaary Gotabaya Rajapaksa had visited Mr. Weerawansa and requested him to end the fast. This came after the NFF leader was given saline drips on the request of his personal physician who had warned that the fast could damage Mr. Weerawansa’s kidneys.
The physician, Dr Sisira Siribaddana, who has been monitoring the condition of Mr. Weerawansa for the past three days, said Mr. Weerawansa’s life could be in danger if he did not drink some water.
Earlier in the day Mr. Weerawansa in a brief statement to the media had it was only the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, who could bring an end to his death fast by disbanding the experts panel appointed recently to advise him on alleged war crimes in Sri Lanka.
“Do not bring the President (Rajapaksa) and tell me to call off the death fast, because I will not do that. If anything happens to me it, Ban Ki-moon or the head of the Colombo UN office will be responsible,” Mr.Weerawansa said. “
Meanwhile UN Chief on Friday called on the Sri Lankan Government to take urgent action to normalize conditions around the UN’s Colombo office so the world body could continue its vital work.
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