Vehicle procession protest against detention of activists

Thousands of union members and activists took part in a vehicle procession protest that commenced a short while ago in front of New Town Hall in Green Path.

The procession is to travel across the city from Maradana, to Fort then to Galle Face Green ending at Town Hall. Unions including the Government Nursing Officers Association, Inter Company Employees Union, Frontline Socialist Party will join the procession against the detention of fellow activists, union leaders and alleged move by the government to suppress protesters.

Protestors travelling in all types of vehicles are currently taking part in the protest, abiding to the quarantine rules.

Meanwhile, teachers island-wide continued to stay away from online teaching for the third consecutive day today (14) as unions called for an international investigation into the detention of education sector activists in the form of quarantine.

President of Ceylon Teachers Union Joseph Stalin who is presently in Sri Lanka Air Force’s Mullaitivu quarantine centre told TimesOnline that they have requested right groups, both local and international to conduct investigation into the incident in which protestors were forcibly dragged to quarantine centres.

“The behaviour of the police towards protestors needs to be investigated. While 32 were produced before courts only 16 are at this quarantine centre. We have no idea where the others are. Members of the Human Rights Commission’s Jaffna branch tried to visit us several times, but were denied permission to talk to us as we were in quarantine. But we briefed them over the phone,” he said.

Last Thursday, over 30 activists protesting against the government's move to pass the controversial Kotelawala Defence University Bill were arrested by police, bailed out and taken to government quarantine centres.

(Pix by Indika Handuwala and Akila Jayawardana)