|
Sri Lankan lawmaker ends death fast
A Sri Lankan lawmaker ended a death fast Saturday outside the main UN compound in Colombo after failing to get the world body to disband a panel probing alleged war crimes in the country.Legislator Wimal Weerawansa ended what he had called his death fast after President Mahinda Rajapakse visited him outside the UN compound and asked him to abandon the protest, an official of Weerawansas party told AFP. The president spent a few minutes with him, gave him a glass of coconut water and that was the end of the protest, the official said. Weerawansa, 40, had refused to take food or water by mouth since Thursday, but was being fed intravenously so faced no risk to his life, a doctor said. The politician launched a sitdown protest on Tuesday and turned it into a death fast on Thursday. He had demanded that UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon halt a UN probe into alleged rights abuses during the final stages of Sri Lankas civil war between Sri Lankan troops and Tamil rebels last year. Weerawansa, the leader of the National Freedom Front, a coalition partner in the government, quit his cabinet post as housing minister on Friday to deflect allegations that his campaign was being orchestrated by the government. Hundreds of supporters had gathered around him as protest organisers played Buddhist prayers over a public address system. The supporters dispersed after Weerawansa was taken away in an ambulance. Ban asked Sri Lanka on Friday to normalise conditions around the UN office in Colombo after days of angry demonstrations. Earlier in the week he recalled the UNs top envoy to the island, Neil Buhne, for consultations. The UN chiefs office said the strong reaction to the UN probe was not warranted, adding the expert panel was acting only in an advisory role. Posted by: Steve White 2010-07-11 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=300778 |