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Ranil promises 24-hour hotline for protestors 

04 Aug 2022

  • A bureau for peaceful protestors to submit complaints to be probed by a committee
  • Promises legal action against intentional violence/terror; allocates sites in Colombo/Kandy for peaceful protests
President Ranil Wickremesinghe said yesterday (3) that he will establish a bureau to “support peaceful protestors” which would include a 24-hour hotline for protestors to use to register their complaints.  “Some groups are trying to spread a lot of propaganda through social media that I am hunting down the protestors, but it is not true. I will not allow any kind of prejudice to the peaceful activists. I will establish an office to protect the peaceful protestors, and to support them,” the President said in his policy statement at the ceremonial opening of the third session of the ninth Parliament. The President said that, in the occurrence of any injustice to a peaceful activist, they will be able to use a 24 hour telephone line which will be established for them to communicate their concerns.  “A committee headed by a retired judge will examine the complaints and take necessary measures accordingly,” he said.  A spokesperson for the President’s office told The Morning that this programme is in its initial discussions, and is done so with the aim of establishing better communication with the peaceful protestors, and that it will be “realised very soon”.  “It is currently under the overview of the Presidential Secretariat, but will be moved to the Justice, Prisons, and Constitutional Reforms Ministry, or to the Youth Affairs Ministry as required,” the spokesperson added. Protests that started out in neighbourhoods around the island demanding the resignation of the then President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, reached a turning point on 9 April when the protestors established the “GotaGoGama” outside the Presidential Secretariat, near the Galle Face Green. Viewed as a peaceful protest site, the “GotaGoGama” saw the arrival of thousands of people each day as the public engaged with their democratic right to dissent. On 9 May, the site was attacked by Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) supporters, which received widespread criticism, including from the United National Party (UNP), which President Wickremesinghe is the Leader of.  “The struggle that started all over Colombo expecting a system change, was later centralised at the Galle Face Green. This was expanded to several major cities in the island. This struggle was conducted on a non-violent basis, and in a creative manner. These activists did not commit any act of violence. Therefore, families joined the struggle to express their protest. Parents were not afraid to even bring children to the places of protest. Once, the protestors digitally illuminated the walls of the Presidential Secretariat, without any harm. Later this non-violence was suppressed, and violence emerged, with certain politicised groups that became the stakeholders. By indulging in violence, the protests turned towards terrorism,” Wickremesinghe alleged yesterday (3). Furthermore, he said that the law will be applied equally to the people who attacked the peaceful protestors on 9 May, and those who are engaging in violence and terrorism under the guise of the struggle.  “I will ensure that there is no political intervention in this process.” Parliamentarians including SLPP MPs Johnston Fernando and Sanath Nishantha were identified by the Courts for being suspects in the attack on “GotaGoGama” on 9 May. President Wickremesinghe currently leads a SLPP majority Government, although he has extended an invitation to all political parties to form an all-party Government.  On 9 July, hundreds of thousands of people descended upon the “GotaGoGama” protest site, where they ultimately took over the Presidential Secretariat, the official residence of the President, and the Temple Trees, the latter the official residence of the Prime Minister. Later that night, protestors were tear-gassed outside the private residence of the then Premier Wickremesinghe, at Fifth Lane, Colombo 3, while 10 journalists attached to two private media organisations were also assaulted by the Police Special Task Force (STF). The fire at his residence started shortly afterwards. On 21 July, the same day that President Wickremesinghe was sworn into office, protestors occupying the Presidential Residence, and the Temple Trees handed over the two buildings to the authorities, and announced their intention of vacating the Presidential Secretariat the following day. However, in the early hours of 22 July, the military cracked down on the protestors occupying the Secretariat, with several reporting injuries, including journalists.  In the few weeks since President Wickremesinghe took office, a large number of activists and key protestors have been arrested, with the Inter University Students’ Federation (IUSF) even claiming the abduction of some of its members. The Frontline Socialist Party’s (FLSP) offices were raided, and many protestors who had entered the Presidential Residence, have been identified and arrested.  “If there are individuals who have participated in such illegal activities, either unknowingly, or due to the influence of others, a plan will be prepared to act sympathetically towards them. However, if there are individuals who intentionally violate the law and engage in violent and terrorist acts, legal action will be taken against them. I will not allow anyone to act outside the law. The law is the same for you, me, and everyone,” said the President.  Moreover, the President said that places have been allocated in the Colombo, and Kandy Municipalities for peaceful protests, and requested the “peaceful protestors to vacate the unauthorised places, and to assist to maintain law and order”. He also claimed that there are plans by “some groups to disrupt” the religious festivals that take place in the country during the month of August “by creating a turbulent background”, adding that these festivals are expected to increase tourist arrivals to the country.  “I do not allow violence and terrorism. However, I will protect non-violence and democracy. Peaceful struggle is a fundamental right. I accept those rights,” said the President yesterday (3).  


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