Will protest if Govt. fails to compensate losses owing to cancelled Vesak events : FPRP

The Foundation for Peoples' Rights Protection (FPRP) has threatened to organise protests if the government does not compensate for the losses caused by the decision to cancel Vesak celebrations.

Payment contracts with artistes and other professionals who were expected to setup Pandols at various Vesak Zones (kalapayas) were signed in January, a Foundation spokesman told Times Online.

He pointed out that organisers of such events were facing losses since they had already paid these individuals who now will not be able to perform after the government cancelled all Vesak celebrations in the aftermath of the Easter Sunday attacks.

Further, the Foundation's Spokesman urged that the government must also compensate for the cost incurred to purchase equipment for the installation of vesak pandols and huge lanterns.

"Construction of some pandols had commenced six months ago. However, now all constructions have been stalled despite incurring heavy costs for these activities," the spokesman pointed out.

Accordingly, the Foundation has decided to provide the government a time period of one week in order to grant compensation for the costs that were incurred in the run-up to the Vesak celebrations.

"If compensation is not paid within a week, we would gather all equipment which we had purchased and hold protests outside the Presidential Secretariat and the President's House," the FPRP official said.

(Reporting by Damith Wickramasekara)