PM's meeting with former MP's gets underway

COLOMBO (News1st): Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa's meeting with former parliamentarians got underway at Temple Trees a short while ago, with three parties boycotting the discussion. Opposition parties such as the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), People's Liberation Front (JVP), and the United National Party (UNP), have announced that they will not attend the meeting, calling it a futile exercise. The government has repeatedly turned down requests made by opposition parties to reconvene Parliament instead of convening a new Parliament after the general election. The centre-right UNP earlier announced that they would attend the meeting, but had revised its decision on Sunday, terming the meeting as a "politically motivated move". Last week, the SJB led by former opposition leader Sajith Premadasa and the JVP, also said they would not attend the meeting, while urging the President to reconvene Parliament. However, government parties have challenged the opposition to attend the meeting and address their concerns directly to the Prime Minister, instead of issuing statements to the media.