News
Long arm of the law falls short as thugs hold sway in Rajapaksa-land
Five parliamentarians from the main opposition United National Party (UNP) left Colombo early Thursday on a fact-finding mission to the controversial Mahinda Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA) and the neighbouring Magampura Port.
The UNP parliamentary delegation at the Mattala airport during their fact-finding mission. Pix by Shantha Rathnayake
The UNP MPs, Ajith Perera, Eran Wickramaratne, R. Yogarajan, Ajith Mannamperuma and Nalin Bandara were accompanied by seven journalists from the national print media that included Shantha Ratnayake, a news photographer from our sister paper the Lankadeepa.
Prior to their departure, the MP’s had earlier obtained approval for the visit from the Minister of Civil Aviation Priyankara Jayaratne and from Ports Authority Chairman, Dr Priyath Bandu Wickrama.
After departing Colombo around 8.30 am the group travelled by road and reached their first stop, the MRIA around noon, and was cordially welcomed by the staff who guided them into the complex.
The journalists, however, were barred from touring the complex, and were confined to the lobby, while the UNP MPs made their rounds.
The MRIA stopover did not last more than 35 minutes, and as they stepped out of the complex, they were confronted by a mob hurling insults at them, and demanding they leave the place immediately.
Words were exchanged between the two sides and then, without warning, the mob began to attack the group with stones, eggs and other missiles, damaging the visitor’s vehicle.
As the situation grew more tense, with no assistance forthcoming from the many policeman positioned nearby, who opted to remain hapless onlookers to the melee, the group decided to leave for Magampura Port some 18 km away.
It is not known if the presence of the mob was spontaneous or preplanned, as only the outcome of a police investigation currently under way will reveal.
Two security personnel accompanying the MPs alerted the Hambantota Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police, of the visit to the Port, following the MPs confrontation at Mattala airport.
The group arrived at the port with no further incident, although their vehicle was tailed by unidentified persons in a blue vehicle.
On arriving at the port, officials present were polite and provided them with the necessary assistance in touring the complex. On this occasion, however, the journalists were allowed to accompany the MPs.
The group stayed inside the port for little over an hour, and when they were departing, they were confronted by an angry mob of port workers and villagers allegedly led by the pistol-packing Hambantota Mayor Eraj Ravindra Fernando.
The UNP MPs were once again subject to verbal abuse and threatened with bodily harm if they did not move out of the place without further delay, which they opted to do, accompanied by the journalists, on the advice of their security personnel.
MP Wickramaratne told the Sunday Times that the mob was nasty, some of them were intoxicated and appeared to have the backing of higher authorities, with most of them screaming disparaging remarks.
“It was a very frightening situation, especially when the many policemen at the scene opted to remain quiet.”
He said that the visit was not aimed at criticising the MRIA or the port, but to look into ways of making them profitable under a future UNP government, as billions of rupees have been dumped into these projects that are currently lying in limbo.
He was all praise for the media personnel at the scene, for their courage to stick it out and also carry out their professional duties, and the end result is that the entire country, and even the international community, is now aware of what took place.
“Mayor Fernando claims that he was never in possession of a firearm, but media photo-grabs show otherwise, and the man has made a clown of himself. The media personnel should be commended at the very highest for their courage, despite the petty returns they get for such a job,” Mr. Wickramaratne added.
MP Nalin Bandara dismissed claims by the Mayor that he was a personal friend of the MP and had visited the place to protect the MPs from the mob. “I met him at a wedding, but I do not have any connection with him. I did not call him as he claims.”
Mayor refutes allegations contrary to pictorial evidence
 Pistol-packing mayor Eraj Fernando says he is a peacemaker Hambantota Mayor Eraj Ravindra Fernando has rejected claims that he is behind the attack in Magampura. He says he went to the scene to control the situation, on the instructions of United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) MP Namal Rajapaksa. He earlier stated that MP Rajapaksa had told him to rush to the Magampura Port, fearing trouble, owing to the incident that had already taken place at the MRIA. “However, on reaching the port there was already a tense situation and a clash had begun between the UNP MP’s and members of the staff, and I tried to persuade both sides to calm down, but to no avail,” he adds. He also states that the allegations made against him are not true, and denies that he is packing a handgun at that time.
UNP condemns attack as a Black Day The UNP high command on Friday decried the incident, describing it as a ‘Black Day’, and queried where the law and order of this country is, while calling on Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa to appoint a panel of investigators who are of eminence and acceptability, to go into this callous and violent incident. In a statement, the UNP’s acting leader Karu Jayasuriya said, “Elected Representatives of the people, a team of five UNP Parliamentarians visited the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport and Hambantota Harbour projects, the twin-white elephants of this Government.” “The team of Parliamentarians was manhandled by the thugs of the regime, intimidated by gun totting Hambantota Mayor Eraj Ravindra Fernando, and harassed beyond shame by those who have been brainwashed, evidently on the strict instructions of the godfathers of the Deep South- Rajapaksas.” “Mayor Eraj Fernando carrying a loaded pistol was visible to everyone, and has been seen on camera, thanks to the alertness of the media cameramen.” “This is not the country we should leave behind for our children to inherit.” “This gross violation of societal discipline was once evidenced long years ago in a different era. Now it’s revisiting us in a much more gruesome manner, and the ominous signals that these latest incidents emanate would be extremely harmful to a growing young generation.” “It is with a great sense of responsibility and grave duty that I ask the Honorable Speaker of the House of Parliament, who hails from the district in which this incident took place, to appoint a panel of investigators who are of eminence and acceptability, to go into this callous and violent behaviour of thugs and hooligans, and submit the findings to Parliament.” “We also condemn vehemently, the remarks made by SSP Ajith Rohana, the Police Spokesman, who has stated that, if the MPs took their security details, the incidents could have been averted.” |