TNA boycotts buget speech by President
Thursday ,06 November 2008( Posted : 09:11:44GMT)

(Colombo) The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) boycotted President Mahinda Rajapaksa`s budget presentation in Parliament after the party`s parliamentary group leader, R. Sampanthan made a statement that the party was protesting against the colossal sum for Defence expenditure which he said was being used against Tamils.

He said the military was committing `genocide` against Tamils by carrying out aerial bombardment in civilian populated areas and therefore the TNA was boycotting the budget.

Mr. Sampanthan was interrupted by government members and thereafter about 12 TNA members present walked out.

The text of the statement of Mr. Sampanthan released to the media follows

As a mark of strong protest against and firm condemnation of the ruthless prosecution of the war by the Sri Lankan State in the North Eastern territory of Sri Lanka, the areas of historical habitation of the Tamil speaking people, carried out by continuous aerial bombardment, multi barrel rocket fire, and other military attacks in Tamil civilian populated areas, through which war, the Sri Lankan State continues to commit genocide of the Tamil nation, by the extermination of Tamil civilians, and by the destruction and devastation of the Tamil homeland, and by the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Tamil civilians, tantamount to ethnic cleansing, and for the prosecution of which war, the Sri Lankan State seeks to allocate a colossal sum of money under the Budget proposals 2009, the Members of Parliament of the Illankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi ( Tamil National Alliance), will boycott the Budget speech and walk out of the House when the Hon.Minister of Finance commences the presentation of Budget proposals 2009 .

Times

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