While condemning the attack on a group of journalists and the torching of the personal residence of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, National Movement for Social Justice Chairman Karu Jayasuriya called for those responsible to be brought before the law regardless of their status or standing.

He said in a statement that both these incidents are abhorrent and contemptible acts in the eyes of any civilised society.

“We are deeply shocked and saddened by two barbaric incidents that were reported during the massive citizen’s protests carried out yesterday for the sake of democracy and the freedom of the people,” he said.

“The brutal attack on a group of journalists including a female reporter of Sirasa TV by several STF personnel and the torching of the personal residence of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe by a group of persons leading to its destruction.

Therefore, we strongly and unequivocally condemn both incidents. We also call for those
responsible to be brought before the law regardless of their status or standing,” he said.

“It is important that the Chiefs of the Police Special Task Force act immediately and take necessary disciplinary action against the concerned officers.

In order to find a solution to the massive political and economic as well as social crisis in the country today, it is extremely important to educate the public about it. The media has a significant role to play in this regard. 
We wish the group of journalists who are currently undergoing treatment a speedy recovery and thank Sirasa TV and the entire media community for their continued service and reportage.

We also strongly condemn the torching of the private residence belonging to Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. Dissent must be given its due respect in democratic politics. 

A society that does not accept the right to have a different political opinion cannot expect a better future.

Therefore, on behalf of our future generations we as a society must ensure such incidents are not repeated going forward. 

We hope the entire society takes note of this. Meanwhile, it is also important to find out if there are any hidden elements behind this incident. 

Our sole objective is to see the country return to normalcy. We would like to therefore respectfully point out that Parliament as well as the entire society has a national responsibility to ensure this, Mr. Jayasuriya further said.