A delegation of Members of Parliament representing all political parties, headed by the Speaker of the House, Karu Jayasuriya visited the crisis-ridden areas of Kandy, yesterday.
“We have a duty to ensure that no repetition of a crisis of this nature takes place again. Thus, the purpose of our visit was to ensure unity between the Sinhalese, Muslims and Tamils,” Speaker Jayasuriya told the Sunday Observer.
The group first visited the Chief Prelate of the Malwathu Chapter of the Siyam Sect, Most Ven. Thibotuwawe Sri Sumangala Thera.
The Speaker discussed with the Chief Prelate the gravity of the incidents that had taken place and stressed the need to ensure that re-occurrence of similar incidents did not take place in the future.
The Speaker also stated that this incident not only had an effect locally but also brought a black mark on the country in the international arena.
Several countries had issued travel advisories immediately after the initial incidents
and this, in turn, affected the country’s tourism industry on a large scale, at a time the country’s tourism sector was growing, especially considering the prevailing situation in the Maldives, the Speaker explained to the Thera.
The delegation then met with the Chief Prelate of the Asgiriya Chapter of the Siam Sect, Most Ven. Warakagoda Sri Gnanarathana Thera. The Speaker said the delegation had a dialogue with Muslim and Tamil religious and community leaders, Christian religious leaders, members of Civil Society, the IGP and the Army Commander.
“What we wish for is to restore normalcy in the area. It is bad for a country when a curfew imposed,” he said.
“Hopefully, by Monday the country will return to normal. Then, we can tell the international community that the situation in Sri Lanka is normal and that tourists can visit the country without fear,” he said.
The Speaker was joined by MPs Gayantha Karunatillake, Vijitha Herath, Susil Premajayantha, M.A. Sumanthiran, Mano Ganesan and several others.