Diaspora festival or celebration of Prabha’s birthday? : NFF

Under the 2014.03.21 gazette paper issued during the reign of the previous government 16 organisations and 424 persons who were ruled to have acted against the national sovereignty were banned from entering the country

The National Freedom Front (NFF) yesterday questioned as to whether the government was bracing for “Mahavira Pongu Tamil Festival” to celebrate slain LTTE Leader Velupillai Prabhakaran’s birth anniversary in the guise of a Diaspora Festival organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the end of the year.

They urged the government to make known to the public the real objective of holding the Diaspora festival without hoodwinking them while submitting the country to separatism and extremism once again.

NFF Media Spokesman Mohammed Muzammil told a news conference that if the Diaspora festival was one in which persons of Sri Lankan origin from around the world would participate it would be a threat to national security and national unity. He warned that they would go to court over the illegal act. “Under the 2014.03.21 gazette paper issued during the reign of the previous government 16 organisations and 424 persons who were ruled to have acted against the national sovereignty were banned from entering the country. There was a real possibility that those who were banned from entering the country would attend this Diaspora festival,” Mr. Muzammil said.

Speaking on the 20th Amendment to the constitution, the NFF Spokesman said no government official had a proper opinion or idea about the 20th Amendment which was being misused by the UNP based government to prolong the term of the present government. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs had said the ministry intended to take the lead in organising the Diaspora festival because the government had recognised the importance of engaging the Diaspora.