ENB TODAY 200308 Iraq war Protestes& Eelam news
War protesters halt traffic, recall dead By SARAH KARUSH, Associated Press Writer 29 minutes ago WASHINGTON - Protesters blocked traffic and government buildings in Washington, acted out a Baghdad street scene in Syracuse, N.Y., and banged drums in a parade through San Francisco on Wednesday to mark the fifth anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq.
In other, more somber observances, organizers set up a two-mile display of about 4,000 T-shirts in Cincinnati, meant to symbolize the members of the U.S. military
killed in Iraq, while in Louisville, Ky., demonstrators lined rows of military boots, sandals and children's tennis shoes on the steps of a courthouse.
Laurie Wolberton of Louisville, whose son just finished an Army tour of duty in Iraq, said she fears the worsening U.S. economy has caused Americans to forget
about the war.
"We're not paying attention anymore," she said. "My son has buried his friends. He's given eulogies, he's had to go through things no one should have to go through,
and over here they've forgotten. They just go shopping instead."
On previous anniversaries, tens of thousands of people marched through major U.S. cities, and more than 100,000 gathered on several occasions leading up to the
invastion.
Only a few hundred mustered for one of Wednesday's largest gatherings, in Washington, the crowds' size perhaps kept in check by a late-winter storm system that
stretched the length of the country.
More than 80 people were arrested, most of them outside in Washington and at the Syracuse demonstration.
At the Internal Revenue Service building in the nation's capital, about 100 protesters led by a marching band gathered at the main entrance. Several jumped
barricades and sat down in front of the doors and were immediately detained. The demonstrators said they were focusing on the IRS, among other institutions,
because it gathers taxes used to fund the war.
Brian Bickett, 29, was among the first arrested. The high school theater teacher from New York City said he had never engaged in civil disobedience before.
"We need to find lots of different ways to resist the war, and I decided to try this," he said.
About 20 protesters were arrested about a block from the U.S. Capitol after blocking traffic. In some cases, police had to drag the protesters off the street.
In Syracuse, police arrested 20 protesters who blocked traffic by creating a mock Baghdad street scene. One person dressed in camouflage lay on the ground.
Another was covered in a white sheet with red markings and a woman leaned over as if grieving. They were from a group of more than 100 demonstrators who
marched downtown in a steady rain over the lunch hour.
In Chicopee, Mass., eight people were arrested when they blocked a gate at Westover Air Reserve Base, police said. Five people were arrested In Hartford, Conn.,
for blocking the front door of a federal courthouse.
On the West Coast, police arrested a handful of protesters outside of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, police Sgt. Steve Manina said. Black balloons
were tied to trees along San Francisco's main downtown thoroughfare, and protesters at a table offered coffee, oranges and "unhappy birthday cake" to passers-by.
A few hundred protesters banging drums and waving banners that read "Was it worth it" took to the streets for a parade that blocked morning traffic.
Demonstrators also converged in Ohio, where more than 20 vigils, rallies, marches and other events were planned.
In New York City, women sang songs and counted out the war dead outside the military recruiting station in Times Square, which was recently the target of a bomb.
Half a dozen war protesters in Miami dressed in black placed flowers outside the U.S. Southern Command during rush-hour Wednesday morning.
Outside a military recruitment office in Washington, protesters were met by a handful of counterdemonstrators, one of several shows of support for the war and the
troops.
Colby Dillard, who held a sign reading, "We support our brave military and their just mission," pointed to some red paint that one of the war protesters had splattered
on the sidewalk.
"The same blood was spilled to give you the right to do what you're doing," said Dillard, who said he served in Iraq in 2003.
Earlier, about 150 people, mostly with the group Veterans for Peace, marched down Independence Avenue. Many of them carried upside-down American flags,
which they said symbolized a nation in distress.
Daniel Black, who was stationed in Fallujah with the Marines in 2004, said he came to believe the war was a mistake after he returned.
"The more I read the more it just didn't add up," said the 25-year-old, a student at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
A couple of miles away at the American Petroleum Institute, protesters chanted "No blood for oil!" and tried to block traffic by sitting in the street and linking arms.
At least once, they were dragged away by police.
Vandals in Milwaukee damaged the front door of an Army recruiting center and spray-painted anti-war graffiti across its front windows. Milwaukee police said the
vandalism occurred Monday night or Tuesday.
The Iraq war has been unpopular both abroad and in the United States, although an Associated Press-Ipsos poll in December showed that growing numbers think
the U.S. is making progress and will eventually be able to claim some success in Iraq.
___
Contributing to this report were Associated Press writers Karen Mahabir in Washington; Dave Collins in Hartford, Conn.; Laura Wides-Munoz in Miami; William Kates in Syracuse, N.Y.; Marcus Wohlsen in San Francisco; Dinesh Ramde in Milwaukee; Stephanie Reitz in Springfield, Mass.; Will Graves in Louisville, Ky.; and Deepti Hajela in New York.
Bush defiantly defends war in Iraq
In other, more somber observances, organizers set up a two-mile display of about 4,000 T-shirts in Cincinnati, meant to symbolize the members of the U.S. military
killed in Iraq, while in Louisville, Ky., demonstrators lined rows of military boots, sandals and children's tennis shoes on the steps of a courthouse.
Laurie Wolberton of Louisville, whose son just finished an Army tour of duty in Iraq, said she fears the worsening U.S. economy has caused Americans to forget
about the war.
"We're not paying attention anymore," she said. "My son has buried his friends. He's given eulogies, he's had to go through things no one should have to go through,
and over here they've forgotten. They just go shopping instead."
On previous anniversaries, tens of thousands of people marched through major U.S. cities, and more than 100,000 gathered on several occasions leading up to the
invastion.
Only a few hundred mustered for one of Wednesday's largest gatherings, in Washington, the crowds' size perhaps kept in check by a late-winter storm system that
stretched the length of the country.
More than 80 people were arrested, most of them outside in Washington and at the Syracuse demonstration.
At the Internal Revenue Service building in the nation's capital, about 100 protesters led by a marching band gathered at the main entrance. Several jumped
barricades and sat down in front of the doors and were immediately detained. The demonstrators said they were focusing on the IRS, among other institutions,
because it gathers taxes used to fund the war.
Brian Bickett, 29, was among the first arrested. The high school theater teacher from New York City said he had never engaged in civil disobedience before.
"We need to find lots of different ways to resist the war, and I decided to try this," he said.
About 20 protesters were arrested about a block from the U.S. Capitol after blocking traffic. In some cases, police had to drag the protesters off the street.
In Syracuse, police arrested 20 protesters who blocked traffic by creating a mock Baghdad street scene. One person dressed in camouflage lay on the ground.
Another was covered in a white sheet with red markings and a woman leaned over as if grieving. They were from a group of more than 100 demonstrators who
marched downtown in a steady rain over the lunch hour.
In Chicopee, Mass., eight people were arrested when they blocked a gate at Westover Air Reserve Base, police said. Five people were arrested In Hartford, Conn.,
for blocking the front door of a federal courthouse.
On the West Coast, police arrested a handful of protesters outside of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, police Sgt. Steve Manina said. Black balloons
were tied to trees along San Francisco's main downtown thoroughfare, and protesters at a table offered coffee, oranges and "unhappy birthday cake" to passers-by.
A few hundred protesters banging drums and waving banners that read "Was it worth it" took to the streets for a parade that blocked morning traffic.
Demonstrators also converged in Ohio, where more than 20 vigils, rallies, marches and other events were planned.
In New York City, women sang songs and counted out the war dead outside the military recruiting station in Times Square, which was recently the target of a bomb.
Half a dozen war protesters in Miami dressed in black placed flowers outside the U.S. Southern Command during rush-hour Wednesday morning.
Outside a military recruitment office in Washington, protesters were met by a handful of counterdemonstrators, one of several shows of support for the war and the
troops.
Colby Dillard, who held a sign reading, "We support our brave military and their just mission," pointed to some red paint that one of the war protesters had splattered
on the sidewalk.
"The same blood was spilled to give you the right to do what you're doing," said Dillard, who said he served in Iraq in 2003.
Earlier, about 150 people, mostly with the group Veterans for Peace, marched down Independence Avenue. Many of them carried upside-down American flags,
which they said symbolized a nation in distress.
Daniel Black, who was stationed in Fallujah with the Marines in 2004, said he came to believe the war was a mistake after he returned.
"The more I read the more it just didn't add up," said the 25-year-old, a student at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
A couple of miles away at the American Petroleum Institute, protesters chanted "No blood for oil!" and tried to block traffic by sitting in the street and linking arms.
At least once, they were dragged away by police.
Vandals in Milwaukee damaged the front door of an Army recruiting center and spray-painted anti-war graffiti across its front windows. Milwaukee police said the
vandalism occurred Monday night or Tuesday.
The Iraq war has been unpopular both abroad and in the United States, although an Associated Press-Ipsos poll in December showed that growing numbers think
the U.S. is making progress and will eventually be able to claim some success in Iraq.
___
Contributing to this report were Associated Press writers Karen Mahabir in Washington; Dave Collins in Hartford, Conn.; Laura Wides-Munoz in Miami; William Kates in Syracuse, N.Y.; Marcus Wohlsen in San Francisco; Dinesh Ramde in Milwaukee; Stephanie Reitz in Springfield, Mass.; Will Graves in Louisville, Ky.; and Deepti Hajela in New York.
Bush defiantly defends war in Iraq
By BEN FELLER, Associated Press Writer 40 minutes ago
President Bush defiantly defended the Iraq war Wednesday as U.S. troops began a sixth year of combat in the long and costly conflict that has dominated his
presidency. Bush conceded the war has been harder and more expensive than anticipated but insisted it has all been necessary to keep Americans safe.
Protesters marked the anniversary of the U.S. invasion with demonstrations near the White House and in other cities, though they seemed to lack the fervor of those
that preceded the war.
Bush, in a speech at the Pentagon, offered some of his boldest assessments of progress and said the war's legacy is absolute: "The world is better, and the United
States of America is safer."
A war-weary country isn't nearly so convinced.
The majority of people think the invasion was a mistake, polls show. However, Americans are more split about how the war is going and when U.S. troops should be
pulled home, as reduced violence in Iraq has begun to influence the public view.
Almost 4,000 U.S. military members have died, and more than 29,000 have been wounded. The cost is $500 billion and counting.
"No one would argue that this war has not come at a high cost in lives and treasure," Bush said. "But those costs are necessary when we consider the cost of a
strategic victory for our enemies in Iraq."
The U.S. has about 158,000 troops in Iraq, and that number is expected to drop to 140,000 by summer. But Bush signaled anew that he will not pull more troops
home as long as his commanders worry that doing so will imperil recently improved conditions in Iraq.
"Having come so far, and achieved so much, we're not going to let this happen," Bush said.
Demonstrators converged in the nation's capital, other big cities like Miami and San Francisco, and in smaller towns in Vermont and Ohio to urge an end to the war.
Police arrested more than 30 people who blocked the Internal Revenue Service building in Washington, and protesters blocked downtown intersections several
times.
However, the demonstrators numbered in the hundreds rather than the thousands organizers had hoped for.
Even as his time and power wane, Bush made clear he will prosecute the war as he deems fit till the end of his presidency.
In the campaign to replace him, Democratic Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton pledged to end the war, but squabbled Wednesday over who could
do it best.
Democrats in Congress assailed Bush for failed, tired leadership and questioned why he did not push Iraq's leaders to live up to promises.
"All the president seems able to offer Americans is more of the same perpetual disregard for the costs and consequences of stubbornly staying the course in Iraq,"
said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.
Bush starkly described the costs of trying to end the war too quickly. From his perspective, retreat would lead to chaos in Iraq, embolden al-Qaida to pursue an
attack on America and encourage Iran to develop nuclear weapons.
"To allow this to happen would be to ignore the lessons of September the 11th and make it more likely that America would suffer another attack like the one we
experienced that day," Bush said.
Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida network orchestrated the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. The bipartisan Sept. 11 commission found no collaborative relationship between al-
Qaida and Saddam Hussein, who ruled Iraq at the start of the war and was later captured, tried and hanged.
Al-Qaida in Iraq, an insurgent group, has grown into a more potent, dangerous organization since the start of the war. Bush speaks of undeniable links between that
group and the broader al-Qaida network, although experts question that extent of those ties.
Bush praised Sunni tribal leaders for rising up against al-Qaida in Iraq. He said that has led to similar uprising across the country. Bush put the figure at 90,000 local
citizens who are protecting their communities against extremists.
All that, combined with a strategic influx of U.S. troops last year, has "opened the door to a major victory in the broader war on terror," Bush said.
"Iraq was supposed to be the place where al-Qaida rallied Arab masses to drive America out," Bush said. "Instead, Iraq has become the place where Arabs joined
with Americans to drive al-Qaida out. In Iraq, we are witnessing the first large-scale Arab uprising against Osama bin Laden, his grim ideology."
Bush did not mention that weapons of mass destruction in Iraq — a main justification for the war — were never found.
"This isn't the war we signed up for," said Jon Alterman, head of the Middle East program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. Back in
2003, he said, Americans expected a quick, decisive defeat of Saddam and no lingering presence.
"What we are seeing is a much more difficult, muddled, nuanced presence at a much higher cost and for a longer time than anyone bargained for," he said.
Bush spoke of Saddam's removal as a worthy end in itself, ridding Iraq of death squads, torture chambers and rape rooms.
He also jabbed at political critics who he said "still call for retreat." The message was similar to the "no surrender" theme of Bush's would-be Republican successor,
Sen. John McCain, who also warns about pulling troops home too fast.
Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph E. Stiglitz and Harvard University public finance expert Linda Bilmes have estimated the eventual cost of the war could be as
much as $3 trillion when all the expenses are calculated.
Without naming anyone, Bush decried those who he said have exaggerated the expense.
"War critics can no longer credibly argue that we are losing in Iraq," he said, "so now they argue the war costs too much."
In Congress, the leaders of the Joint Economic Committee, Sens. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., and Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., wrote him and asked for full
disclosure.
"The American people deserve a full accounting of what the war has cost in terms of lives, our reputation abroad, and our economy," they wrote.
President Bush defiantly defended the Iraq war Wednesday as U.S. troops began a sixth year of combat in the long and costly conflict that has dominated his
presidency. Bush conceded the war has been harder and more expensive than anticipated but insisted it has all been necessary to keep Americans safe.
Protesters marked the anniversary of the U.S. invasion with demonstrations near the White House and in other cities, though they seemed to lack the fervor of those
that preceded the war.
Bush, in a speech at the Pentagon, offered some of his boldest assessments of progress and said the war's legacy is absolute: "The world is better, and the United
States of America is safer."
A war-weary country isn't nearly so convinced.
The majority of people think the invasion was a mistake, polls show. However, Americans are more split about how the war is going and when U.S. troops should be
pulled home, as reduced violence in Iraq has begun to influence the public view.
Almost 4,000 U.S. military members have died, and more than 29,000 have been wounded. The cost is $500 billion and counting.
"No one would argue that this war has not come at a high cost in lives and treasure," Bush said. "But those costs are necessary when we consider the cost of a
strategic victory for our enemies in Iraq."
The U.S. has about 158,000 troops in Iraq, and that number is expected to drop to 140,000 by summer. But Bush signaled anew that he will not pull more troops
home as long as his commanders worry that doing so will imperil recently improved conditions in Iraq.
"Having come so far, and achieved so much, we're not going to let this happen," Bush said.
Demonstrators converged in the nation's capital, other big cities like Miami and San Francisco, and in smaller towns in Vermont and Ohio to urge an end to the war.
Police arrested more than 30 people who blocked the Internal Revenue Service building in Washington, and protesters blocked downtown intersections several
times.
However, the demonstrators numbered in the hundreds rather than the thousands organizers had hoped for.
Even as his time and power wane, Bush made clear he will prosecute the war as he deems fit till the end of his presidency.
In the campaign to replace him, Democratic Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton pledged to end the war, but squabbled Wednesday over who could
do it best.
Democrats in Congress assailed Bush for failed, tired leadership and questioned why he did not push Iraq's leaders to live up to promises.
"All the president seems able to offer Americans is more of the same perpetual disregard for the costs and consequences of stubbornly staying the course in Iraq,"
said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.
Bush starkly described the costs of trying to end the war too quickly. From his perspective, retreat would lead to chaos in Iraq, embolden al-Qaida to pursue an
attack on America and encourage Iran to develop nuclear weapons.
"To allow this to happen would be to ignore the lessons of September the 11th and make it more likely that America would suffer another attack like the one we
experienced that day," Bush said.
Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida network orchestrated the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. The bipartisan Sept. 11 commission found no collaborative relationship between al-
Qaida and Saddam Hussein, who ruled Iraq at the start of the war and was later captured, tried and hanged.
Al-Qaida in Iraq, an insurgent group, has grown into a more potent, dangerous organization since the start of the war. Bush speaks of undeniable links between that
group and the broader al-Qaida network, although experts question that extent of those ties.
Bush praised Sunni tribal leaders for rising up against al-Qaida in Iraq. He said that has led to similar uprising across the country. Bush put the figure at 90,000 local
citizens who are protecting their communities against extremists.
All that, combined with a strategic influx of U.S. troops last year, has "opened the door to a major victory in the broader war on terror," Bush said.
"Iraq was supposed to be the place where al-Qaida rallied Arab masses to drive America out," Bush said. "Instead, Iraq has become the place where Arabs joined
with Americans to drive al-Qaida out. In Iraq, we are witnessing the first large-scale Arab uprising against Osama bin Laden, his grim ideology."
Bush did not mention that weapons of mass destruction in Iraq — a main justification for the war — were never found.
"This isn't the war we signed up for," said Jon Alterman, head of the Middle East program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. Back in
2003, he said, Americans expected a quick, decisive defeat of Saddam and no lingering presence.
"What we are seeing is a much more difficult, muddled, nuanced presence at a much higher cost and for a longer time than anyone bargained for," he said.
Bush spoke of Saddam's removal as a worthy end in itself, ridding Iraq of death squads, torture chambers and rape rooms.
He also jabbed at political critics who he said "still call for retreat." The message was similar to the "no surrender" theme of Bush's would-be Republican successor,
Sen. John McCain, who also warns about pulling troops home too fast.
Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph E. Stiglitz and Harvard University public finance expert Linda Bilmes have estimated the eventual cost of the war could be as
much as $3 trillion when all the expenses are calculated.
Without naming anyone, Bush decried those who he said have exaggerated the expense.
"War critics can no longer credibly argue that we are losing in Iraq," he said, "so now they argue the war costs too much."
In Congress, the leaders of the Joint Economic Committee, Sens. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., and Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., wrote him and asked for full
disclosure.
"The American people deserve a full accounting of what the war has cost in terms of lives, our reputation abroad, and our economy," they wrote.
Five years after the start of the war in Iraq,
Vice President Dick Cheney offered a positive assessment of the war today and called last year's troop surge a "major success."
"On the security front, I think there's a general consensus that we've made major progress, that the surge has worked. That's been a major success," Cheney told
ABC News' Martha Raddatz.
Related StoriesBush Defends Five Years in IraqThe Note: Jump Ball for '08 MomentumRead the Full Interview with Vice President CheneyObama: Turn Page on Failed War
StrategyUpward Spiral? Iraq's Improved HopesTop GMA storiesMany Say War Not Worth It; Cheney: 'So?'Republicans Drool Over Rev. Wright RhetoricHillary Was in White House on 'Stained Blue Dress' Day When asked about how that jibes with recent polls that show about two-thirds of Americans say the fight in Iraq is not worth it, Cheney replied, "So?"
"You don't care what the American people think?" Raddatz asked the vice president.
"You can't be blown off course by polls," said Cheney, who is currently on a tour of the Middle East. "This president is very courageous and determined to go the
course. There has been a huge fundamental change and transformation for the better. That's a huge accomplishment."
Since the war began, nearly 4,000 U.S. troops have been killed and more than 29,000 have been injured in the war, which has so far cost the United States roughly
$600 billion, according to the Pentagon.
By some estimates, the war will end up costing Americans anywhere between $2 trillion and $4 trillion.
'Rough Patch' in Economy Cheney also touched on the current state of the economy, admitting, "we're clearly going through a rough patch." But the Bush administration has not said the United
States is experiencing a recession.
Cheney said that the downturn can, in part, be blamed on natural economic cycles.
"We've had, prior to that, 52 months of uninterrupted economic growth," he said. "Now, of course, we've got problems in the housing industry, mortgage-backed
securities and so forth that have created problems that we're having to deal with."
Dick Cheney Calls Iraq War a "major success."
"On the security front, I think there's a general consensus that we've made major progress, that the surge has worked. That's been a major success," Cheney told
ABC News' Martha Raddatz.
Related StoriesBush Defends Five Years in IraqThe Note: Jump Ball for '08 MomentumRead the Full Interview with Vice President CheneyObama: Turn Page on Failed War
StrategyUpward Spiral? Iraq's Improved HopesTop GMA storiesMany Say War Not Worth It; Cheney: 'So?'Republicans Drool Over Rev. Wright RhetoricHillary Was in White House on 'Stained Blue Dress' Day When asked about how that jibes with recent polls that show about two-thirds of Americans say the fight in Iraq is not worth it, Cheney replied, "So?"
"You don't care what the American people think?" Raddatz asked the vice president.
"You can't be blown off course by polls," said Cheney, who is currently on a tour of the Middle East. "This president is very courageous and determined to go the
course. There has been a huge fundamental change and transformation for the better. That's a huge accomplishment."
Since the war began, nearly 4,000 U.S. troops have been killed and more than 29,000 have been injured in the war, which has so far cost the United States roughly
$600 billion, according to the Pentagon.
By some estimates, the war will end up costing Americans anywhere between $2 trillion and $4 trillion.
'Rough Patch' in Economy Cheney also touched on the current state of the economy, admitting, "we're clearly going through a rough patch." But the Bush administration has not said the United
States is experiencing a recession.
Cheney said that the downturn can, in part, be blamed on natural economic cycles.
"We've had, prior to that, 52 months of uninterrupted economic growth," he said. "Now, of course, we've got problems in the housing industry, mortgage-backed
securities and so forth that have created problems that we're having to deal with."
Dick Cheney Calls Iraq War a "major success."
Heated debate in the Sri Lanka parliament on the 17th amendment Wednesday, March 19, 2008, 3:55 GMT, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.
Mar 19, Colombo: A heated debate commenced in the parliament yesterday as Prime Minister Rathnasiri Wickramanayaka made a special statement with regard to
the reactivation of constitutional council as required by the 17th amendment of the country’s constitution.
Premier said that the President has decided to not to activate the Constitutional Council until the report of the Parliamentary Select Committee on the subject makes
its recommendations. He also pointed out that the appointment of the 10th member to the council has been dragging for over 2 years and therefore it is essential to
make suitable alteration to the existing law that is creating problems.
Joining the debate opposition leader Ranil Wickremasinghe pointed out that the tenure of the present general secretary to the parliament expires at the end of this
month and without the council the vacancy will not be able to be filled. He said that if somebody takes the appointment in the absence of the council it would only
create a parliamentary privilege issue and therefore it would be difficult for the parliament to continue its proceeding in the near future.
Also, Mr. Wickremasinghe highlighted that there is no issue with regard to the appointment of the parliamentary select committee but the existing law must not be
violated until the changes come.
Meanwhile, Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna parliamentarian Wimal Weerawansa supported the opposition leader’s argument that the government is violating the
existing law by not appointing the constitutional council. He said that the government is acting against the law by ignoring the present law saying that it is defective.
The speaker imposed a prohibition to not to report anything on the heated words exchange between the two sides that followed.
Parliament will not be in session today in honor of late SLFP MP Anura Bandaranaike whose funeral takes place today at Horagolla.
Mar 19, Colombo: A heated debate commenced in the parliament yesterday as Prime Minister Rathnasiri Wickramanayaka made a special statement with regard to
the reactivation of constitutional council as required by the 17th amendment of the country’s constitution.
Premier said that the President has decided to not to activate the Constitutional Council until the report of the Parliamentary Select Committee on the subject makes
its recommendations. He also pointed out that the appointment of the 10th member to the council has been dragging for over 2 years and therefore it is essential to
make suitable alteration to the existing law that is creating problems.
Joining the debate opposition leader Ranil Wickremasinghe pointed out that the tenure of the present general secretary to the parliament expires at the end of this
month and without the council the vacancy will not be able to be filled. He said that if somebody takes the appointment in the absence of the council it would only
create a parliamentary privilege issue and therefore it would be difficult for the parliament to continue its proceeding in the near future.
Also, Mr. Wickremasinghe highlighted that there is no issue with regard to the appointment of the parliamentary select committee but the existing law must not be
violated until the changes come.
Meanwhile, Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna parliamentarian Wimal Weerawansa supported the opposition leader’s argument that the government is violating the
existing law by not appointing the constitutional council. He said that the government is acting against the law by ignoring the present law saying that it is defective.
The speaker imposed a prohibition to not to report anything on the heated words exchange between the two sides that followed.
Parliament will not be in session today in honor of late SLFP MP Anura Bandaranaike whose funeral takes place today at Horagolla.
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