News
Street anger boils, unions and the West denounce emergency
Police use tear gas to disperse protesting univesity students at Battaramulla.
Unionists condemned police violence against peaceful protesters near the Parliament complex and the late night emergency proclamation, and vowed to continue their struggle to free the country from Rajapaksa rule, following the success of the country-wide hartal on Friday, which drew widespread support from the masses.
Large-scale protests involving the masses, and state and private sector workers erupted in big cities including Kurunegala, Kandy, Galle, Polonnaruwa, and Anuradhapura, as well as Galle Face.
A Hindi word, hartal is made up from hat (shop) + tala (lock), and is about non-cooperation. 
After riot police rained tear gas on peaceful protesters on several occasions on Friday on approach roads to Parliament, an emergency was proclaimed late at night for a second time in less than two months. This drew international condemnation. It has to be approved by Parliament.
Earlier, on April 1, an emergency was proclaimed after protesters railed outside the home of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, demanding that he quit and that his family give up cabinet portfolios because they had driven the country to bankruptcy. On April 3, a curfew was declared and ignored by the people. The protests led to a Cabinet without Rajapaksas.
Yesterday, Sri Lankans woke up to another emergency.
The United States Ambassador Julie Chung said yesterday she is “concerned by another State of Emergency. The voices of peaceful citizens need to be heard.’’
The UNICEF said it is “concerned with reports of violence during protests involving children. All actors must guarantee the right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression, including children” (See box).
The Bar Association of Sri Lanka demanded the emergency be revoked.
The JVP said Saturday, suppression of peaceful protests will not work and that the president must revoke the emergency.
General Secretary Tilvin Silva said in a briefing: “Don’t play this game. People’s protests cannot be crushed through suppression.’’ The Government cannot fight against all Sri Lankans, he warned.
“The government must not try to curtail people’s democratic rights. If they do, they are spoiling for a fight with the whole country. You can’t win.’’
University teachers taking to streets demanding the resignation of government leaders. Pic by Eshan Fernando
Sri Lankans in one united voice are demanding the exit of the president, Silva said. “The President is hiding in a bunker and won’t come out because of the public protests.’’
Many provincial cities were deserted on Friday and black flags were hoisted in homes and shops.
Men’s and women’s underwear hung on police-built metal pipe barriers signified how Sri Lankans have become destitute and the country bankrupted by the Podujana Peramuna government of President Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa. Both have become a magnet for ridicule and anger.
Bells rang out in some temples. Retailers shut stores and public transport was halted.
In some provincial cities, groups sang protest songs and even held funeral rites to herald the end of a regime that became widely unpopular in record time.
Another country-wide strike is set for Thursday.
Trade Union Coordinating Centre convener Ravi Kumudesh said Friday’s hartal was successful and reflected the people’s frustration against the president, the Government and all members of Parliament.
“The Government needs to respond to this campaign, if not, all unions will get the support of the public and continue the strike, along with another hartal,” he warned, adding that over 2,000 unions joined Friday’s hartal.
Hundreds of thousands mounted various forms of protest, including a human chain.
There were street dramas mocking the Rajapaksas and the shaman known as ‘Gnana Akka’. On the streets, some prepared a funeral meal, known as the ‘mala batha’, or rice and curry, including dried fish and pumpkin.
On Thursday, protesters of the Inter-University Students Federation gathered at the newly-erected ‘Horugogama’ near the Parliament. They were tear-gassed by police that night and again on Friday. Two water canon trucks were turned on them.
Youths and mothers with their children, families, and some well-known figures were seen at the site at times lending support to the peaceful ‘aragalaya’ that withstood thundershowers that night.
At first light the following day, the area people arrived with hot tea, coffee, tea buns, packs of bottled water, biscuits, and food such as kottu.
IUSF convener Wasantha Mudalige said that following the Speaker’s decision to suspend Parliament till May 17, that the union will allow the regime a few more days before launching another wave of protests.
“If the Government fails to listen to the people before the 17th, we will make sure no MP is allowed into the Parliament,” he said.
He condemned attempts to suppress peaceful protests by imposing an emergency.
Road traffic in and around Colombo was minimal on Friday. There was no activity at rail hubs such the the Fort, Veyangoda, and Polgahawela. The Private Bus Owners Association halted operations and the main bus terminal in the Pettah was empty.
The decision by the principals and teachers union to support the strike meant the schools were shut.
In the central hills, in Hatton, all shops and even the post office were shut.
In Galle, lawyers marched from the court complex to the bus terminal. Teachers and principals protested at Galle railway station.
Hundreds of thousands of workers of free trade zones in Katunayake, Biyagama and Seethawaka stepped out making exporters feel the agony of the masses. In Averiwatte, hundreds protested at about 7:00am. Shops in the area were closed.
Economic centres, where agri-produce is traded, were open, but there were no transactions.
Businessmen said they sacrificed a day’s income for the sake of justice for the people who have been made to suffer immensely.
Farmers and villagers in Saliyawewa came onto the Puttalam-Anuradhapura main road to express their anger.
Unions representing Grama Sevakas, banks, and fishermen, marched onto Galle Face this week to support the peaceful ‘aragalaya’ continuing on the doorstep of the President’s office.
| UNICEF: Children have a right to protest; protect them from violence The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has expressed concern over reports of violence at protests where children are also seen. “All actors must guarantee the right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression, including for children,” a statement from the UNICEF said. “According to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, children and adolescents have the right to participate and express their opinions on issues that affect them. The State, local communities and families have a shared responsibility to protect children and safeguard their rights. “All acts of violence must stop. Every adult must act with a sense of responsibility and avoid exposing children to any form of violence, including during protests. We call on law enforcement agencies to avoid the use of force and ensure that fundamental guarantees for the protection of children remain applicable everywhere, at all times,” the statement said. | |
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