Opposition MP fires Govt. over move to renovate Prabhakaran’s ancestral home

• Accuses government of failing to rebuild country effectively following Ditwah cyclone  

By Yohan Perera and Ajith Siriwardana

The government’s purported decision to renovate the ancestral home of slain LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran has come under fire from the opposition in Parliament.   

Opposition MP Hector Appuhamy raised the issue yesterday, criticising the government’s priorities and its handling of post-war and disaster-related matters.

“We expected President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to appreciate the members of the armed forces for winning the civil war during his Independence Day speech. However, that did not happen,” MP Appuhamy said. “Instead, he spoke only about the Ditwah cyclone. It is regrettable that the government is now talking about renovating LTTE leader Prabhakaran’s ancestral home in Valvettithurai while failing to properly acknowledge the sacrifices made by the Sri Lankan security forces.”   

He also accused the government of failing to rebuild the country effectively following the Ditwah cyclone,” he said.   

“Reconstruction of houses damaged by the Ditwah cyclone is progressing at a very slow pace,” he added. 

Meanwhile, MP Ramanathan Archchuna, who also referred to the proposed renovation of the former LTTE leader’s home, said that Sinhalese and Tamils should move beyond hatred and work towards reconciliation.