Arjuna arrested, given bail

Sri Lankan police officers escort the security guard of Deposed Oil Minister Arjuna Ranatunga (not pictured) to a court in Colombo, Sri Lanka, 29 October – REUTERS

Police escort deposed Oil Minister Arjuna Ranatunga to a court in Colombo, Sri Lanka, 29 October – REUTERS

• CPC unions call off strike, fuel distribution expected to return to normal today

By Nuwan Senarathna 

MP Arjuna Ranatunga was arrested yesterday by Colombo Crime Division over the shooting incident that resulted in one death at Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC), but was shortly released on bail. 

Police Spokesman SP Ruwan Gunasekara said Ranatunga was accused of being involved in the shooting incident, where a 34 year old man was killed and two others were injured, after Ranatunga’s body guard allegedly opened fired at a group of protesters at the CPC premises when he tried to enter his office. 

Ranatunga was taken hostage inside the CPC premises, and had to be removed by the Special Task Force (STF). 

The trade unions of the CPC later demanded Ranatunga be arrested and launched a strike, disrupting fuel distribution countrywide and creating long queues of vehicles near filling stations.  Ranatunga was produced before the Colombo Magistrate last evening and granted Rs. 500,000 surety bail. Following the arrest, CPC trade unions called off the strike. CPC’s Sri Lanka Freedom Party Workers Union’s leader Bandula Saman Kumara said that operations of the CPC had resumed.

He said by today morning, distribution of fuel would return to normal. “We have won our demand therefore the strike has been called off,” he told Daily FT.