Mirihana mayhem:

By Shamindra Ferdinando

Chairperson of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) retired Supreme Court Justice Rohini Marasinghe yesterday (01) has stressed that those arrested over Thursday’s protest outside President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s private residence at Mirihana couldn’t be charged under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA).

Acting Director, Research and Monitoring Nihal Chandrasiri quoted Justice Marasinghe as having told the HRCSL staff that if those who had been arrested were to be charged that should be in terms of the Public Property Act (PPA) No 12 of 1982.

Chandrasiri told The Island that the HRCSL would be visiting the detainees on Friday (01) and Saturday. The HRCSL’s position would be made known to law enforcement authorities, the spokesperson said.

Altogether 53 persons including one woman, were detained during the incidents. The Mirihana mob set fire to several vehicles, including two buses belonging to the Army and Police, one police jeep, two traffic bikes and two three wheelers.The police estimated the value of the propertiues destroyed at Rs 39 mn.

Twenty four police officers, including an ASP and 18 police commanndos, received injuries during clashes outside the President’s residence.

Police anti-riot vehicle attacked by angry demonstrators

Senior DIG Ajith Rohana said that the srrested persons would be produced in court in terms of Penal Cide and the Public Property Act.

Justice Marasinghe declared HRCSL’s stand on those who had been arrested during violent protests in Mirihana in the wake of the President’s Media Division (PMD) alleging a group of organized extremists caused mayhem.

In a statement issued around 6.45 am yesterday, Director General of Presidential Media Sudeva Hettiarachchi claimed that the group of extremists had been among the protesters gathered at Jubliee junction, Nugegoda, on Thursday. The statement alleged that armed with iron bars, sharp objects and clubs they had influenced the protesters to march towards President Rajapaksa’s residence.

Declaring that most of those who had been engaged in violence were taken into custody, the PMD claimed that the majority of the detained were extremists. The PMD confirmed the arrested persons’ status as extremists.

It stated that those who had been taken into custody led the protest calling for ‘Arab Spring’ here. It was a reference to a series of violent anti-government protests and armed rebellions that spread across much of the Arab world in the early 2010s. The crisis began in Tunisia in response to corruption charges and economic stagnation.

Helmets and batons left behind by police commandos
Pics by Thushara Atapattu

Based on information elicited from those who had been arrested, the PMD claimed that the social media was used meticulously and anonymously to create a violent situation outside the President’s Mirihana residence. The project was meant to cause anarchy by provoking the public, the PMD alleged.

DG, PMD, Sudeva Hettiarachchi and Presidential Spokesperson Kingsley Ratnayake were not available for further comments on the post-Mirihana developments.

Following consultations with the political leadership, the Police Headquarters yesterday lifted at 5 am an indefinite curfew that had been imposed on Colombo North, Colombo Central, Colombo South, Nugegoda and Mount Lavinia police divisions, and the Kelaniya police division in the Gampaha district, following violent protests at Mirihana.

Police headquarters announced the curfew at 2.45 am. Authoritative sources told The Island that the declaration was made as a precautionary measure to prevent interested parties moving in people to Colombo to fuel further protests.

During Thursday’s confrontation between the security forces and protesters, the latter repeatedly urged the police and the armed forces to throw their weight behind them. “You should be with us,” they said, urging the military not to protect a dictatorial government that has failed the people.

Thursday’s protest was the second outside President Rajapaksa’s Mirihana residence since an unprecedented foreign currency crisis caused serious countrywide shortage of essential items. Former UNP MP Hirunika Premachandra led the protest by Samagi Jana Balavegaya (SJB) women’s group on March 05. In the night of the same day, SLPP supporters protested outside the former lawmaker’s Malabe residence as a counter.