Wimal, Gammanpila, Vasu, Tiran meet PM separately for talks

Ministers Wimal Weerawansa, Udaya Gammanpila, Vasudeva Nanayakkara and MP Tiran Alles who were alleged to have boycotted an all party leader's meeting with Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday had infact met the Prime Minister separately ahead of the meeting claiming they had certain political issues to discuss which could not be discussed in a larger crowd, the Daily Mirror learns.

Senior political sources said the four MPs had not boycotted the meeting as alleged by some, but the four of them had arrived at Temple Trees earlier yestetrday and met Rajapaksa separately to discuss several issues which were later also discussed in the All Party Leader's meeting. 

The excuse given was that the four MPs had asked for a smaller meeting with the Prime Minister but when they were notified that several other MPs would be present they had sought a seperate meeting with the Premier. The four had then left early before the larger meeting got underway.

The four had however attended a large dinner hosted for the ruling government MPs later in the evening at Temple Trees yesterday. (JAMILA HUSAIN)