Puravesi Sanvidhana Ekamuthuwa Co-convener Ven.Dambara Amila Thera yesterday said a Presidential Commission should be appointed to investigate into revelations made in the New York Times report which suggested that a Chinese company funded former President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s election campaign.
The Thera said a Parliamentary debate should be held to discuss the facts revealed in the New York Times report and the debate should be telecast live on media.
Addressing a press conference at the CSR yesterday, Ven.Amila Thera said the news report suggested that former President Mahinda Rajapaksa had betrayed the country after Don Juan Dharmapala.
“Rajapaksa betrayed the country for the second time by granting the outright ownership of the land in which Sri Lanka Army headquarters was located to China and this plot of land no longer belonged to us, he said.
The Thera said that the country had no control over the land in which work on the Port City development project is in progress. The Thera said the former President had violated election laws by allegedly acquiring funds from China, while the Chinese Government should make a statement over the revelations made by New York Times. “No country should be allowed to abuse Sri Lanka’s independence and sovereignty.
“A fully fledged Presidential Commission should investigate into these allegations.The former President should submit an affidavit in this regard”, the Thera stressed. The taxes have increased because of the previous government’s illegal and irresponsible activities.“The poor tax payers in the country have to bear the brunt of the financial blunders of the previous regime,” the Thera said.