The Free Trade Zone Workers Union (FTZWU) today said that they would be writing to the Defense Ministry asking them to intervene in order to ensure that no future problems occur due to the behaviour of police officers at FTZWU protests.

This letter was written in regard to the incident that took place yesterday when police officers forcefully dispersed protestors in Katunayake.

The FTZWU spokesperson said that everything was going smoothly and there would have been no violence if a police officer had not misbehaved towards a protestor which had provoked and argument between the protestors and the police.

“We are writing to them and asking them to ensure that no such incident ever takes place again,” said FTZWU Joint Secretary Anton Marcus. He stated that the letter was not only a request but also a record of what had really transpired at the protest.

Mr. Marcus also said that the police had asked some of the employers about who had taken part in the protest. “If they are going to do something like this it will only create more issues than solve anything,” he said.

The FTZWU also said that several bicycles and other vehicles belonging to the protestors had been taken by the police in trucks during the incident and that they were currently holding discussions to release them. The union said that they would be conducting a meeting to decide the course of action they would be taking in the future. (Nabeela Hussain)