The debate in the British in the House of Commons regarding the Lankan affairs has created a stir in the south. During the adjournment session of the Parliament, Wimal Weerawansa, warned Britain not to interfere in the internal affairs of Sri Lanka and to keep off. He charged that Britain has always tried the strategy of divide and rule. That is why we have an ethnic problem in the country.

The government members did not take the problem seriously. Their position was that what was expressed in the debate was only a view of a small number of members and that it was not an official proclamation.

Major opposition party –UNP- cautioned that government should not take the issue lightly. UNP Parliamentarian Kireela, told the House that this must be viewed as a beginning of a major propaganda against Lanka for human rights violations in the country. He forewarned that following the House of Commons, there can be similar debate in the US congress and in the Parliament of the European Union.

Rohitha Bogollagama, the Foreign Minister, who spoke at the end of the debate stated that the government will not allow any country to interfere in the affairs of Sri Lanka. The British government has not officially indicated about the proposed visit of the All Party Representatives’ Group and that when it is officially announced, they would stop such visits through diplomatic channels.

We wish to point out that those who make a hue and cry over the opinions expressed at the debate at the House of Commons, little realize that it was President Rajapakse, who appealed to British Prime minister Tony Blair to show interest in resolving the Lankan problem on his visit to UK last year.

If the Sinhala leadership had had such far sightedness to resolve the issue amicably among our selves, then the national crisis could not have taken such a bad trend. Now, it is an old story, that can hardly hold good.

An English translation of the Editorial in Thinakkural, a Tamil daily, based in Colombo

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