Kabir replaces Tissa as UNP General Secretary

Tuesday, 9 December 2014 01:03 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

In a surprise move, UNP National Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe announced that Party Chairman Kabir Hashim would be taking over as General Secretary of the UNP following Tissa Attanayake’s departure.

Wickremesinghe made the announcement at the joint opposition press briefing held after nominations were submitted yesterday. Common opposition candidate Maithripala Sirisena warmly wished Hashim following the announcement. Hashim told the Daily FT that although the party had known about Attanayake’s impending defection, it had refrained from taking action against him. “The UNP is like that. We want to keep people. We didn’t want to create issues for him. But now he has left the winning side,” Hashim said. (DB)