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| Tuesday, 10 February 2004 |
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| Freedom Alliance will solve farmers' problems, says Anura : Farmers end hunger strike by Uditha Kumarasinghe Thirteen farmers including a JVP Parliamentarian who commenced a death fast opposite the Fort Railway station on February 6 to force the Government to bring down Urea fertiliser prices yesterday called off their campaign following a memorandum presented to them by former Parliamentarian Anura Bandaranaike assuring that a new Government formed by the Freedom Alliance will reduce fertiliser prices and provide solutions to all problems faced by the farmer community. Among the fasting farmers were an aged woman and politician farmer S.K. Subasinghe of the All Ceylon Peasants Federation (ACPF). Their protest campaign commenced on January 19 urging the Government to reduce Urea fertiliser prices. Due to the Government's failure to provide a positive response to the ACPF request before February 5, the Farmer Federation decided to go on a death fast. However, the farmers stopped their death fast due to an assurance given by former MPs Anura Bandaranaike and Wimal Weerawansa that the United Freedom Alliance Government which will be formed on April 3 will not only bring solutions to the fertiliser price issue but also to farmers' problems. The 13 farmers who looked physically weak following the death fast, were served with Thambili water by former MPs Bandaranaike, Weerawansa, Arjuna Ranatunga and Ven. Elle Gunawansa Thera. Farmer Jayantha Weerasekera, President of the Bagathalawa Farmer Organisation was hospitalised due to poor health condition. A large number of farmers from all over the country were present to express solidarity to farmers engaged in the death fast. Addressing the farmers Bandaranaike said the Freedom Alliance's intention is to defeat the UNF Government by forming a people's Government. The Government has increased the urea fertiliser price from Rs. 350 to Rs. 1,000. Each farmer has to spend a huge cost for cultivation. As a result, problems faced by the farmers have rapidly increased, he said. Bandaranaike said:" We entered into this farmers' issue not to gain any political advantage. The new Government to be formed by the Freedom Alliance will bring down the urea fertiliser prices and settle all problems faced by the farmers. "We seek votes not to commit malpractice or for personal gain. Our sole intention is to form a people's Government which will provide solutions to burning issues of the people and the farmer community. Therefore the new Government formed by the Freedom Alliance will be a clean Government. He said various conspiracies were hatched to prevent the formation of The Freedom Alliance. "However, we formed the Freedom Alliance on January 20 by defeating all these conspiracies," Bandaranaike said. Weerawansa said a caretaker Government was functioning following the dissolution of Parliament. "The present cabinet will be reduced to 10 to 15 Ministers soon. Therefore there won't be Ministers any more with responsibilities to deal with the people's problems," he said. "As the main partners of the Freedom Alliance we urge the farmers to call off their death fast," he said adding that the Freedom Alliance will settle all problems of farmers. Weerawansa said the country has lost even the market for local products. "Farmers have become helpless. The alliance will make every possible attempt to turn the farmer into a dignified individual," he said. |
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