By Walter Jayawardhana

The Opposition in Sri Lanka is organizing paid advertisements in English newspapers alleging a certain activist has received a threatening letter by mail timing the arrival of a United NationƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s official to get restrictions against Sri Lanka imposed alleged President Mahinda Rajapaksa addressing a public meeting.

ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-The ulterior motive of these advertisements is to put the country into difficulties by creating an artificial atmosphere of getting international restrictions imposed and stop credit to the country by lending institutions,ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ the President said addressing about 5000 ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party electoral leaders and leading party activists of the Galle District held in the Temple Trees premises in Colombo yesterday (September 17).

The President was making an obvious reference to anti-government political activist, Pakyasothy Saravanamuttu who published paid advertisements alleging he received an anonymous threatening letter.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Although the allegation is about one month old the advertisement came up timed for the eve of the UN officialƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s Sri Lanka visit. The United Nations official referred here is the United Nations under Secretary General for Political Affairs Lynn Pascoe who visited Sri Lanka on September 17.

The President said the Opposition in a country should oppose the government. But instead, the President said Sri LankaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s current opposition is opposing the country and doing everything possible to bring the country to its knees. He said the Opposition Leader is behaving in this odd fashion due to a bad karma of the nation, regretfully.

The President added under this government , after 30 years of cruel terrorism ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ in the country , ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Sri Lanka is emerging out of the dark era viscous terrorism and the Opposition finding the rapid development the country has been put through intolerable due to green envy has set up these traps and wicked conspiracies against the country. They are taking such steps probably for narrow political gains. But the President emphatically stated the government would not allow such malicious schemes to succeed. ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-You may harm the government by any means but please donƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t harm the country,ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ President Rajapaksa insisted.

He said the strong message the voters should convey by the Southern Provincial Council election should be ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-DonƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t let traitors betray the country.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚