The Jathika Hela Urumaya yesterday scotched claims that some MP monks cut short their foreign visits on a UPFA request to back the Inland Revenue (Regulation of Amnesty) Bill last Wednesday.
Ven. Udawatte Nanda, MP, said, "Some claimed we returned as the government sought our help. We backed the Bill as it was the right thing to do. We will support the government on a case-by-case basis."
He also scotched speculation that the UPFA offered return air tickets to MPs as it desperately needed the JHU’s support.
The government, he said, need not worry about the JHU’s backing. "As long as the UPFA’s actions weren’t detrimental to the national interests, we would be solidly behind them," he told the Sunday Island.
The thera said he returned from Italy along with Ven. Kotapola Amarakeerthi, MP, last Wednesday, the day of the vote. "We were there to meet our supporters."
Ven. Ellawela Medhananda, MP and Ven. Uduwe Dhammaloka returned from Europe two days before, he said. Dhammaloka thera had subsequently left for Finland. "Ven. Athuraliye Rathana is in the UK. He is expected to return within the next few days," Udawatte Nanda thera said.
Of the eight JHU MPs, only Rathana thera had not taken part in the voting.
Ven. Akmeemana Dayaratne, MP, Ven. Omalpe Sobitha, MP, and Ven. Kolonnawe Sumangala, MP, didn’t leave the country. "They were here and dutifully voted with the government."
