Jan 31, Colombo: Sri Lanka's Sinhala Buddhist nationalist Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) today announced that a monk parliamentary member submitted his resignation to allow the de facto layman leader of the JHU to enter into the parliament and accept the portfolio of Environment.

JHU national list MP Ven. Omalpe Sobhitha Thero has resigned and Patali Champika Ranawaka will take oath as a JHU MP at the next parliamentary meeting said the JHU.

Champika will swear in as the Minister of Environment soon and enter the Cabinet of Ministers which would be 53 strong with his entry.

The JHU has nine seats in the 225-member parliament and was in the opposition after being elected to parliament in April 2004.