Army Commander Daya Ratnayake has appointed a Board of Inquiry headed by
Adjutant General of the Sri Lanka Army Major General Jagath Dias to
inquire into the allegations leveled against the army during the
Weliweriya incident on Thursday.
Military Spokesman Brigadier Ruwan Wanigasooriya said the five-member
board would investigate into all allegations against the military
including the alleged assault on civilians and journalists and the
killing of a youth.
The Government responded with brute force to a simple human request
by innocent villagers in Gampaha for clean drinking water, UNP Gampaha
District MP Karu Jayasuriya said yesterday.
“The people asked for water, this Government gave them bullets,” the Opposition MP told a press conference yesterday.
Aug 02, Colombo: The United States Embassy in
Colombo today expressed its concern about the violence in yesterday's
deadly protest staged by the residents of Weliweriya over the
contamination of ground water and the clash with security forces.
The Embassy in a statement urged the Government of Sri Lanka to respect
the rights of people to protest peacefully, and urged restraint from all
sides.
The protest of the people living in ‘Rathupaswala’ area was they get contaminated drinking water with harmful substances as result of draining of harmful chemicals from a factory named ‘Winigrows’ to the environment. This had affected people living in the vicinity villages also. There had been clashes between the STF, Police and the residents where tear gas, rubber bullets and water had to be used to disperse the protestors. During the clashes one youngster 22 years old had died while 41 had been admitted for treatment to the hospitals in the area. Among them had been members attached to the security forces.
The body of the 22year old dead person is kept at the Gampaha hospital while the injured are been treated at the Gampaha, Wathupitiwela, Udupilla, Ragama and the Colombo National hospitals. During the clashes the Officer in Charge of the Weliveriya Police station and 10 members of army personnel had been injured.
The security of the area has been taken over by the Police and the armed forces. Until the drinking water problem is resolved the ‘Winigrows’ factory would be remained closed.
