"The government is suppressing the people by resorting to state terrorism.-Ranil Wickramsinghe

UNP membership drive will help fight state terrorism – Ranil

by Zacki Jabbar and Rebecca Leaver
http://www.island.lk/2009/01/16/news16.html

A UNP membership drive launched in Colombo yesterday, was not only aimed at strengthening the party but also ending state terrorism, Opposition and UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe said yesterday.

Addressing a ceremony held at his Cambridge Terrace Home in Colombo 7, he said that new members joining the UNP would be doing a great service to its joint campaign with the like minded opposition parties, to stop the government from violating media freedom and the rule of law.

"The government is suppressing the people by resorting to state terrorism. The membership drive we are launching today is part of our struggle to protect the democratic rights of the masses. All those joining in, will actually be striking a blow against repression in its worst forms."

Wickremesinghe said that some had questioned what the UNP was doing and the first answer to that was the three-month membership drive that had been launched. "Anyone is welcome to purchase a minimum of ten tickets or more and bring in their friends and relatives who would then be enrolled as UNP members. The person responsible for registering the most number of members, will be offered a prize."

The only way to counter repression is to face it head on and the UNP’s membership drive and joint opposition campaign were being geared to that effect, he said "Mr. Vajira Abeywardena, has along with our alliance partners, already organised a mass protest against the government, in Galle," the Opposition leader said.

Asked about state media reports that 5,000 UNPers were to join the government shortly, Wickremesinghe said that he did not wish to comment on reports authored by a person of "questionable character."