A parliamentarian in Sri Lanka’s opposition has called for legislators on both sides of the aisle to join together and boycott the United States until a travel ban imposed on the head of Sri Lanka’s army is lifted.
UNF Parliamentarian S M Marikkar said that he would refrain from travelling to the United States until the ban on Shavendra Silva, who led Sri Lanka’s 58 Division which committed extrajudicial killings and shelled Tamil civilians, was lifted.
He went on to call on “so-called patriots in the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna” to join his boycott.
Economy Next also quotes Marikkar as telling reporters, “the UNP thoroughly condemns this action taken by the United States and added that Sri Lanka is an independent, sovereign and democratic state which will not be ready to work according to the interventions from foreign governments”.
His comments come as leader of the UNP Sajith Premadasa vowed to “stand by” the head of the army, calling him “one of the heroic field commanders who spearheaded the national effort to eradicate terrorism”.
