No Riot Police in future for Bhikkus’ protests

President Mahinda Rajapaksa has directed the IGP to refrain from deploying ‘Anti- Riot Squads’ in protests and demonstrations involving the Maha Sangha, university students and students in future.

President Rajapaksa disclosed this when he addressed the inauguration ceremony of the renovated and modernised Beruwala Fisheries Harbour devastated by the tsunami.

The new-look and sophisticated Beruwala Fisheries Harbour will now serve the country in its development drive, the Beruwala fishing community in particular, with a mooring yard, a vessel repairing centre and a fishing facilitating center among others.

This project comes under the Thotupola Aruna programme, which envisages to construct 100 Anchorages along the Sri Lankan coastal belt, by the Ceylon Fisheries Harbours Corporation (CFHC), as envisioned in the Mahinda Chintanaya. The project is funded by the Government of the People’s Republic of China.

Addressing a large gathering at the ceremony, the President observed that he was greatly perturbed by the recent events that took place at a protest involving the Sangha.

He was of the view that ‘Anti- Riot Squads’ should only be used on grave and imminent danger situations and conditions where there were specific ‘riots’ in its true sense and the deployment of ‘riot squads’ was the only remedy and course of action available.

read more,
http://www.dailynews.lk/2008/06/28/news02.asp
Photos,
http://www.lankatruth.com/Full_Story_Page/2008/June/26/20080626_03.htm