Rajapaksa’s henchmen disturbing public life: Ranil

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday expressed his concerns over what he described as criminals of the Rajapaksa regime threatening to surround Parliament. 

“Those who took part in the recent protest are not the ordinary citizens of this country or boys from university student unions. These were the local government members of the Rajapaksa regime who held a party to celebrate raping 100 women, raping a foreigner, killing her husband and the others were engaged in stealing public money at large,” said Wickremesinghe, who considered the recent protest as a threat to democracy.

“We saw their behaviour in media reports but now they are behaving like kittens. Even we were shaken after having had a look at those criminals - rapists, killers and thieves. Many were those who were engaged in setting tyres on fire and attacking vehicles,” he added.

State Minister of International Trade Sujeewa Senasinghe, criticising the behaviour of Joint Opposition MPs Dinesh Gunawardena and Bandula Gunawardena, said: “Similar to members’ rights we need to protect the public’s rights. Even I was not allowed to come to Parliament. Some henchmen of yours are responsible for this. Even the Police find it difficult to distinguish the lawmakers who have turned into tea makers.” (AH)

Speaker concerned about MPs’ security during protests near Parliament 

Speaker Karu Jayasuriya yesterday condemned protesters and the political forces that encouraged them to surround the parliamentary complex to topple the country’s democratic system.

The Speaker, in response to a privilege issue raised by Joint Opposition MP Dinesh Gunawardena in Parliament yesterday, confirmed the members’ security and protection within the Parliament premises while providing equal recognition to the public’s right to protest.

“I instructed the Police to allow the members to visit Parliament. Later a court order was also obtained to allow the protest without it becoming a public nuisance. Disregarding the court order the protesters have attacked the Police and one policeman was admitted to hospital as a result of this clash. The Police admitted that they had used water cannon on some protesters. However, I am not new to such tense situations. When we were in the Opposition we had to face tear gas as well as baton charges. But I will not let that happen to members while holding the Speaker’s chair,” said Speaker Jayasuriya.

According to the Speaker, the Police was instructed to increase the security level using minimal force to protect the members and Parliament. “The Police need not obtain my approval for every move they make. They can decide when to use water cannon and tear gas based on the situation,” he stated. (AH)