COLOMBO — Sri Lanka's bar association will ask President Mahinda Rajapaksa to reconsider an impeachment bid against the country's chief justice, the association's leader said Saturday. The statement followed a rare general meeting of the legal association that discussed threats to the independence of the judiciary and adopted the resolution. Bar association president Wijedasa Rajapaksa, who is no relation to the president, said the body held a general meeting Saturday for the first time in nearly 24 years. The association joined local and international opposition to the impeachment, which comes amid allegations that the attempt is politically motivated. The US has expressed concern over the move and asked Sri Lanka to refrain from infringing judicial independence. — AP
