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More than 2000 protestors gathered at the YMBA, Borella, yesterday, including 50 Sinhala organisations, to declare seven principles as non-negotiable conditions when enacting the new constitution. During the procession BBC correspondent, Elmo Fernando was assaulted by a demonstrator, accusing the BBC of supporting the LTTE. The protestors also burnt a Norwegian flag when marching past the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Ward Place, due to the fact that declaration of the protestors, signed by the four Mahanayake Theras of the three nikayas, oppose any foreign mediation, including the recent Norwegian initiative. The declaration calls on the government to crush the LTTE militarily. The seven non-negotiable conditions that were declared were the State, national flag, national anthem and Buddhism, division of the country, traditional homeland concept, the thirteenth amendment to the constitution, devolution of power and the executive presidency. According to the representatives, Sri Lanka should continue to be a unitary state, with the legislative supremacy of parliament and the independence of the judiciary being maintained. Provisions relating to the national flag, national anthem and the Buddha Sasana should remain inviolate, the demonstrators, said. Further, division of the country for political or administrative purposes on the basis of ethnicity, should not be advocated by the proposed constitution, they said. Also adding that the country constituted the homeland of all citizens, and the claim that the Northern and Eastern provinces were the traditional homeland of the Tamils, should be rejected. The representatives also resolved that the devolution of power should not be used as a means for the resolution of an ethnic problem, that they claim was non-existent. They also urged that the executive presidency should be abolished. The assembly claimed that the thirteenth amendment was foisted on the people of this country under duress by the Indian government. Hence, the y called for the abolition of the amendment, including the provincial council system and the merger of the north and east.
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