6 January 2024 12:00 am Views - 143
By Sithum Chaturanga
The President of the Organisation of Relatives of the Disappeared During Military Conflicts Sivanathan Jenita and a civil society activist were taken into custody yesterday for organizing a protest against President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s visit to Vavuniya.
They had raised black flags and protested against the President’s visit to Vavuniya to attend a programme. The arrest of the two organizers created a tense atmosphere.
Police said the two suspects were responsible for organizing the protest regardless of Vavuniya Magistrate’s order against staging protests or obstructing the way of the President.
Meanwhile, the protestors told police that they wanted to meet the President to request for an international level investigation of the disappeared. However, the police that refused this request agreed to allow a representative of the organization to meet a Presidential Coordinator.
The two suspects were to be produced in court yesterday.
Meanwhile, a young man who video-filmed the arrival of the President and the Vavuniya Air Force Base was taken into custody near the Air Force Base last morning by Vavuniya Police.
Police said the President who was flown from Jaffna to the Air Force Base by helicopter and arrived from there to the Cultural Hall and that the suspect had video filmed it.
The suspect said that he video filmed the President’s arrival for pleasure.
Police said it was yet to be decided whether he should be produced in court or released on police bail.