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Three minority parties joining government
By Chris Kamalendran
Three minority leaders, Rauff Hakeem, Arumugam Thondaman, and P. Chandrasekaran, are likely to join the Mahinda Rajapaksa adminstration shortly, The Sunday Times learns.

President Rajapaksa met CWC leader Thondaman and is scheduled to meet SLMC leader on Monday in a bid to win their support for his administration. UPF leader Chandrasekaran is also due to meet the President.Mr. Hakeem has decided to end the boycott of the All-Party Conference (APC) on the peace talks and attend the meeting tomorrow.

According to political sources, the CWC has agreed to end its long standing opposition to the Upper Kotmale hydro-power project in return for the cabinet portfolio for Mr. Thondaman.

They say Mr. Thondaman is likely to get the Airport and Aviation portfolio before the local council polls on March 30 while Mr. Chandrasekeran is likely to get a portfolio linked to the plantation workers.

The CWC and the UPF are contesting the local elections in the Nuwara Eliya district on the UPFA ticket while in at least seven other local councils the CWC and UPF are contesting together.

To symbolize the CWC’s new links with the government, Nuwara Eliya District parliamentarian Muttu Sivalingam on Friday took part in a project to build alternate houses for those who will be displaced by the Kotmale project.
Confirming the CWC’s decision to drop his objections to Kotmale power project, Mr. Sivalingam said priority would now be given to the welfare of the people displaced by the project. He said that in another significant change, only one waterfall would be used instead of five.

CWC Vice President R. Yogarajan said a party delegation led by Mr. Thondaman on Thursday met President Rajapaksa to discuss a series of long standing issues. He said that among them were supply of electricity for the estate sector, improvement of roads and housing in the area.

After the CWC decided to extend support to the government at the March 30 local elections, President Rajapaksa had directed the Defence Ministry to increase the security for Mr. Thondaman. His security had been reduced to five policemen soon after the Presidential elections in November. The Sunday Times learns that CWC also wants the government to drop investigations regarding the detection of undistributed computers and sports goods in a house rented out by a CWC member.

Meanwhile, in a strategic shift, apparently linked to the SLMC’s move to join the government, the LTTE has reportedly invited NUA leader and Minister Ferial Ashraff to visit Kilinochchi. Ms. Ashraff who was a member of the government delegation at last month’s Geneva talks is an arch rival of Mr. Hakeem.

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