Sri Lankan ex-Prez Wickremesinghe's health concerns postpones party parley

Colombo, Sep 3 (PTI) Former president Ranil Wickremesinghe's health concerns have prompted his United National Party to postpone a convention scheduled for this weekend, it was announced here on Wednesday.

The event marking the United National Party's (UNP) 79th anniversary was to be the 76-year-old veteran leader's first public appearance since his arrest on August 22 and subsequent bail four days later.

“In consideration of president Wickremesinghe’s personal health condition, a decision has been made to postpone the party convention. It will be held on another date within this month,” party general secretary Thalatha Athukorale said in a statement.

The September 6 convention was seen as a move by Wickremesinghe to unify the fractured party.

Wickremesinghe was arrested in a case of alleged misappropriation of 16.6 million rupees for a private visit to the UK to attend a university convocation of his wife Prof Maithree Wickremesinghe in 2023.

Pleading bail his lawyers argued that Wickremesinghe had complicated heart conditions including blocked arteries.

Ahead of his remand, Wickremesinghe was visited by his arch political foes, including the leader of the UNP breakaway Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) leader Sajith Premadasa.

Wickremesinghe’s arrest by the current ruling National People's Power (NPP) government led by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake was condemned by the rest of the opposition parties who called it a grave political witch hunt.

All opposition parties were to be invited as guests to the UNP convention now postponed. PTI CORR NPK NPK