Police acted on court orders and quarantine law to disperse protesters - Defence Secretary
June 11, 2020Police, which had taken the protesters of the Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) into custody, had acted on a court order and also under the provisions of the quarantine law which was strictly enforced to contain the spread of coronavirus, Defence Secretary Maj.Gen. (Retd) Kamal Gunaratne said.
Referring to the incident where the Police had taken 53 members of the FSP into custody while trying to hold a protest campaign over the death of George Floyd, who was killed by the US Policemen, the Defence Secretary said the government would not put the people’s lives at risk again.
“The dedicated and committed Tri-Forces, police and healthcare workers have put people’s lives before themselves in controlling the spread of coronavirus. We have just opened up the country after over two months of lockdowns and other restrictions to prevent people’s movements to prevent the spreading of the coronavirus. Therefore, we can't allow anyone to disrupt this system of controlling the spread of coronavirus outbreak, again,” he said.
Addressing a gathering at an event held to donate disinfection liquid by the Ceylon Petroleum Storage Terminals Limited (CPSTL) to the Defence Ministry, this morning, Maj.Gen. Gunaratne said it was unreasonable to hold a protest violating the existing laws to contain the spread of the highly infectious coronavirus.
“The entire nation had to undergo an enormous ordeal and almost everyone in the society contributed in the efforts against the pandemic in every possible way and it’s just days since we eased-off the imposed restrictions, they tried to gather to stage a protest”, he added.
The CPSTL Chairman Mohamed Uvais Mohamed symbolically handed over a stock of 50,000 liters of disinfection liquid to the Defence Secretary the CPSTL’s Kolonnawa Head Office.
The disinfection liquid to be distributed among members of the Tri-Forces involved in fighting against the pandemic.
Defence Secretary expressed his gratitude to the CPSTL including its management and employees for their unprecedented support provided for the efforts undertaken by the Tri-Forces, Police and the health services against the pandemic.
“National security is undisputedly the key priority and this was clearly stated in the President’s election manifesto. Without national security any thought of economic revival, growth even in education and also for investor confidence would be futile”, the Defence Secretary said.
He also stressed that the able action-oriented leadership and vision provided by the President was instrumental for the achievement that Sri Lanka gained in the fight against the virus.
“The hallmark of this administration is that the agitations and protests staged by various groups and entities were received positively in contrast to the usual coercive measures used earlier. To date, no such group had been beaten-up, dragged or targeted with batons, water cannons or tear gas. This is clear evidence to the extent of how accommodative the administration is towards ensuring civil liberty and freedom of expression”, he added.
Ceylon Petroleum Corporation Chairman Sumith Wijesinghe, Deputy Managing Directors, senior officers and representatives of staff members of CPSTL were present on the occasion.
