Kiriella says 20 died in police custody during Yukthiya operation

By Saman Indrajith

Chief Opposition Whip Kandy District SJB MP Lakshman Kiriella told parliament on Wednesday that laws were being implemented only against those critical of the government, while those supporting the regime are free to go on breaking rules at their will.

“The President recently while declaring open a court complex at Theldeniya boasted that he introduced 75 new laws. There is no point bringing in new laws if there is no desire to implement them. Laws have not been implemented in many instances including implementing law against those who are responsible for the failure to prevent Easter Sunday terror attacks to the most recent incident of a government minister assaulting a porter at the Bandaranaike International Airport. Soon after the assault, the minister responsible came on TV and said that he had assaulted a porter. What action has been taken against him?” Kiriella queried.

“There is no need for investigating this incident but only the need to act against those responsible. This incident itself stands as a crime. Such incidents are covered by a principle known in Latin as ‘res ipsa loquiter’ principle. The incident speaks for itself. Why cannot this government take actions against the state minister responsible,” he asked.

He said that when the incumbent chief justice was the Attorney General, 42 cases had been filed by the Department of Attorney General against economic crimes. Nobody knows what happened to those cases.

“There is an operation being conducted by police under the name of Yukthiya. It is said that 20 persons who had surrendered to the police during this operation have died in police custody. Is this the way the law is being implemented in this country,” Kiriella queried, while calling on Minister of Justice Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakse to respond.

Minister Rajapakse said that he was only the Justice Minister and there are institutions for the implementation of the law. “I think everybody knows that implementation of law is not a subject coming under my purview. For the incident being raised about a minor employee being attacked at the airport, the aggrieved parties could go to police and then the police would investigate the complaint,” the Minister said.