Buddhist monks march demanding Parliament be reconvened soon

A Buddhist monk ties a blessed thread on the wrist of Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe at Temple Trees yesterday. After the ceremony hundreds of Buddhist monks (right) gathered near the Buddha statue at Viharamahadevi Park in Colombo and walked to New Town Hall to hold a rally demanding that Parliament be reconvened - Pix by Pradeep Pathirana

The Maha Sangha yesterday convened to demand President Maithripala Sirisena to reconvene Parliament soon to end the political crisis which has engulfed the island nation for the past two weeks since the abrupt dismissal of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on 26 October by the President. A large group of Buddhist monks gathered near the Buddha statue at Viharamahadevi Park in Colombo and walked to New Town Hall to hold a rally to “reconvene Parliament and honour democracy".

Prior to attending the convention at Town Hall, the Maha Sangha came to Temple Trees and blessed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.

The Maha Sangha, who chanted Seth Pirith, invoked blessings on Wickremesinghe and proceeded to Colombo New Town Hall where the summit was to be held. President Sirisena prorogued Parliament on 27 October until 16 November. Amid pressure from political parties, civil society and the international community, including the UN and Commonwealth, the President, prolonging the political crisis, announced that Parliament would be reconvened on 14 November, only two days earlier than the scheduled date.

President Sirisena's move to prorogue Parliament is viewed as an effort to lure crossovers from the Opposition to support the Prime Minister appointed by Sirisena, Mahinda Rajapaksa, in Parliament.