… demand probe into lawmaker’s killing

By Shamindra Ferdinando

President of the Colombo High Court Lawyers’ Association Lakshman Perera yesterday (13) said that Sri Lanka’s fate depended on the success of the ongoing efforts to stabilise its economy.

Attorney-at-Law Perera said all political parties, represented in Parliament and outside, including the civil society, should realise the country was in such a bad state there would be anarchy if the bid to form an interim administration failed.

Asked whether Perera, in his capacity as the President of the Colombo High Court Lawyers’ Association, endorsed the swearing in of UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe as the Prime Minister, the spokesperson said that he couldn’t take a position on the issue without consulting the membership.

Perera, however, acknowledged the responsibility on the part of all stakeholders, both in and outside the political mainstream, to reach a consensus on a viable agreement on the developing economic-political-social crisis.

The official asserted that the violence unleashed on those who had been demanding the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and the entire Cabinet of Ministers, including the Prime Minister, on Monday (09) in Kollupitiya and Fort police areas and retaliatory attacks were a grim reminder to those wielding political power at different levels.

Lawyer Perera said that an explosive situation created by unprovoked attacks carried out by those who had been at a meeting chaired by then Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa were now threatening to ruin the country unless consensus on a political settlement could be reached soon.

The association, in a statement that had been issued by its President Lakshman Perera and Secretary Sarath Ekanayake before the swearing in of Wickremesinghe as the Premier roundly condemned the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) for the wanton attack on protesting public.

Estimating the number of persons wounded in indiscriminate attacks at 150, they held the Colombo police responsible for their failure to thwart the Temple Trees project. The lawyers asserted that the police had been irresponsible in their conduct therefore guilty of what they called inadequate discharge of duty.

The lawyers’ association questioned the failure on the part of the police to anticipate serious breach of peace in the wake of such a large gathering at Temple Trees or receive advance warning from the intelligence services.

In the harshest recent criticism of the police by them, the Colombo High Court Lawyers’ Association alleged that the Colombo police had unashamedly served the interests of Temple Trees rather than enforcing laws.

Following Attorney General Sanjaya Rajaratnam’s intervention, IGP C.D. Wickremaratne directed the DIG, in charge of the CID to investigate May 09 incidents.

Commenting on the police and the Special Task Force (STF) deployed at Temple Trees on the day of the incidents, the lawyers alleged that law enforcement authorities turned a blind eye to brutal attacks on protesters. They intervened only after the first wave of attacks, the lawyers alleged, urging the IGP to take responsibility and resign forthwith.

The lawyers insisted that the attacks could have been prevented by the IGP.

Warning of further escalation of protests unless growing public grievances weren’t addressed, the grouping of lawyers declared that they didn’t have faith in Prasanna Ranatunga, who served as the Public Security Minister at the time of the incidents.

Ranatunga succeeded retired Rear Admiral Sarath Weerasekera at the last round of cabinet appointments.

They alleged Ranatunga lacked the capacity to handle the May 09 attacks that triggered a spate of incidents in areas outside the Northern and Eastern Provinces. Mobs set ablaze Ranatunga’s residence in Gampaha.

The association also underscored the responsibility on the part of the government to investigate the killing of Polonnaruwa District SLPP lawmaker Amarakeerthi Atukorale in the Nittambuwa police area and his police bodyguard.

The slain MP was on his way home after attending the Temple Trees meeting when vigilantes intercepted his vehicle.

The association declared six demands namely (1) resignation of the IGP (2) legal action against Senior DIG in charge of the Western Province Deshabandu Tennakoon (3) a transparent and thorough investigation into May 09 attacks carried out on those demanding the change of government (4) Fully cooperate with the HRCSL (Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka) (5) establish rule of law (06) implementation of the Constitution and international instruments pertaining to human rights.

Warning that the public were suffering as a result of the pathetic failure of the political party system, the association said the situation would be further aggravated if those who wield political power sought to protect their interests at the expense of the national interests. The association declared that it wouldn’t hesitate to support what it called a progressive movement to establish democracy and rule of law in case the current political party system continued to fail the country.