Eighteen rallies to mark 130th Labor Day

Political parties and trade unions have made arrangements to hold 18 rallies and 17 parades island-wide to mark the 130th Labor Day.

The Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) are to hold this year’s Labor Day under the theme “Ratak Dinana Athak Lowak Dinana Hetak” at the Samanala Grounds in Galle. It is to commence around 3.00 p.m. President Maithiripala Sirisena will lead the rally. The SLFP rally will comprise two groups converging on Galle from the Expressway direction and the other from the Mahamodara General Hospital direction.

They will link up at a point on the expressway before proceeding the march to the Samanala Grounds. As vehicles entering Galle and the Galle Fort area will be limited for security reasons, crowds will be allowed to use alternative roads to enter the Galle-Matara main road via Habaraduwa junction. Vehicle parking for the SLFP May Day rally has been arranged at Holcim Cement Factory as well as on either side of the Expressway entrance road and the branch roads leading to Mahamodara junction to Ambalangoda.

The United National Party (UNP) May Day rally is to be held at Campbell Park, Colombo under the patronage of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. A number of trade unions, women’s organizations and youth organizations will also be part of the rallies. “Kapakarana Janathawata Aluth Ratak” will be the theme of the UNP May Day rally. Participants in the UNP May Day rally will gather at Maligawatta and Armour Street intersection and proceed to Campbell Park via Base Line Road.

The People’s Liberation Front (JVP) May Day rally will start off at S. De S. Jayasinghe School in Dehiwala and proceed via Kalubowila to High Level Road and to the venue of their rally at BRC grounds. It will be led by party Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

The Joint Opposition (JO) rally which will be held at Lalith Athulathmudali Grounds in Kirulapone will commence at Shalika Grounds, Narahenpita and proceed to High Level Road to reach Kirulapone. Their theme will be Ekabaddha Wadakarana Janathawage Ayitheen Dinagamu”. Nearly 6,600 Policemen will be deployed on May Day, with a large concentration in and around May Day rallies in Colombo and Galle. It is likely that some roads will be closed to traffic.

Four thousand and one hundred personnel will directly take charge of security concerns at May Day rallies, while 2,500 officers will be deployed to maintain traffic control especially in Colombo and Galle. Special traffic plans have been put in place for May Day rallies to be conducted in Colombo, Galle and their suburbs.

The special traffic plan will function from tomorrow morning. Police urged the public to use alternative roads on May 1 from 10.00 a.m to 08.00 p.m.(CDN)