The Sri Lankan tax payers will have to cough out Rs 30 million for a nine day junket to China by all members of the Western Provincial Council (WPC), excluding three JVP members.

The fate of a bill to prohibit political parties identifying themselves with a particular race or religion will be decided by the Supreme Court. Senior Minister and Government Chief Whip Dinesh Gunawardena who presented the bill in parliament last week said yesterday he had referred it to the Supreme Court for a determination on its constitutionality.