2 February 2016 10:58 pm
Former president Mahinda Rajapaksa said today that, though the government had finalised arrangements to hold the 68th Independence Day celebrations at the Galle Face Green, he had not yet been invited to the event.
Speaking to the media at the Abhayaramaya temple in Narahenpita, he also said that the joint opposition had decided to boycott the event.
“Even if we are formally invited we will not participate in it,” he said.
“Does the opposition have enough freedom to celebrate Independence Day?” he asked. “The revenge taken on me has now gone beyond the limit. The government is trying to get revenge from all the Rajapaksas,” he said.
“We will have to consider this matter in future,” he said.
“Today I visited Yoshitha Rajapaksa and the five others at the Welikada Prison and I am awaiting the decision of the court,” he said.
“As we earlier said, the FCID is an institution which cannot be accepted. Orders are given to it by a committee appointed by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and it reports back to him. Several complaints have been made to the Supreme Court and to the Court of Appeal regarding this,” said Mr. Rajapaksa.(Chaturanga Pradeep and Indika Sri Aravinda)
Video by Indika Sri Aravinda