TNA decided to support UNP following Ranil’s promise

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) said yesterday that it decided to support a government led by the United National Party (UNP) following a promise by the UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe that his government would not do anything in the Northern and Eastern provinces without the consent of the TNA.

TNA Parliamentarian and the Leader of the PLOTE, Dharmalingam Siddharthan said that the TNA had put forward several demands during a discussion between a TNA delegation and Mr. Wickremesinghe on Thursday for which Mr. Wickremesinghe had responded positively.

Finding a solution to the ethnic problem through a new Constitution, repealing of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) releasing of Tamil political prisoners and releasing of lands in the North currently occupied by the Security forces were some of the demands that had been put forward by the TNA delegation during the discussion.

However, the 12 member TNA delegation had informed Mr. Wickremesinghe that the Tamil coalition would not take any ministerial portfolio under a Unp-led government.