The Federation of National Organisations (FNO), a collective of Sinhala political organisations, businesses and civil society groups based in the south, has urged Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and former president Mahinda Rajapaksa to explain their positions on India’s plans to build a road link between Tamil Nadu and the Tamil-dominated North-East of the island.
Speaking to media at the Abayaramaya Buddhist temple, co-chairman of the group Dr Gunadasa Amarasekara called on the candidates to reveal their positions before the elections on August 17, The Island reported.
Dr Amarasekara said the proposed bridge was the “biggest challenge” Sri Lanka would face as it would “heavily damage the territorial integrity” of the island, as some powers were trying to “annex” Sri Lanka to India through the bridge.
The co-chairman warned that if the bridge was built, Sri Lanka would not be able to be considered a separate country or an island, as it would become part of India.
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