Just as he took his seat, it collapsed under his weight.

However, organisers swiftly gave him a new seat.

Speaking at the event, he said that that former Defence secretary - Gotabhaya Rajapaksa was the father of the white van culture in Sri Lanka.

He also said that Prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe is not a thief and if the Prime minister and the President are not able to salvage the country's economy, no one can.

The Sinhala video of Mervyn speaking is shown below.

(Video courtesy : Ada Derana)