International
Chandrika critic is leader of Opposition
By Nirupama Subramanian
COLOMBO, FEB. 5. Giving in to a demand from influential sections in the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), the President, Chandrika Kumaratunga, has appointed one of her strongest critics within the party as the leader of the Opposition.
The executive committee of the SLFP confirmed the appointment of Mahinda Rajapakse to the post on Monday, after the previous incumbent, Ratnasiri Wickramanayake, abruptly resigned last month citing health reasons.
Mr. Rajapakse, a popular politician with a strong following within the SLFP, had made a claim for the office immediately after the PA lost the election last December, amidst rumours that the President had decided to give it to her brother, Anura Bandaranaike.
But Ms. Kumaratunga pre-empted a possible showdown then by choosing Mr. Wickramanayake, who was the Prime Minister in the previous People's Alliance government. When Mr. Wickramanayake sent in his resignation three weeks ago, Ms. Kumaratunga is believed to have tried to persuade him to stay on, but he remained adamant.
LTTE recruitment
Ms. Kumaratunga today expressed concern at reports that the LTTE was continuing to recruit children and warned that the incipient peace process could be weakened without due regard for rights of civilians in north-east Sri Lanka.
The President of Sri Lanka was deeply concerned about ``reports that the LTTE is continuing the large-scale forcible recruitment of children, despite the cessation of hostilities and plans for peace negotiations between the government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE,'' her spokesman said in a statement.
Meanwhile, in a statement circulated in eastern Sri Lanka, the LTTE has denied it was recruiting children, or extorting money or abducting and killing civilians. It claimed that ``agent provocateurs'' pretending to be LTTE members were engaging in criminal activities in a bid to provoke communal tension and undermine the ongoing Norwegian peace efforts.
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