President has failed to fulfill his promise to Rathupaswala people’

Subashini senanayaka
Although President Maithripala Sirisena promised to ensure justice to people of Rathupaswala who engaged in a protest demanding safe drinking water facilities within three months in office when he contested the Presidential Election as the common opposition candidate he has failed to fulfill his pledge even after a lapse of one year, representatives of the Sri Lanka Young Journalists Association said.

They expressed these sentiments at a press conference at the Ceylon Trade Industrial and General Workers Association hall Colombo yesterday. They said that although two years had lapsed since the killing of three people who demonstrated against a factory in Rathupaswala which operated against all environmental legislation and specifications, it was strange to see authorities keeping mum about the whole issue.

Although Ministers John Amaratunga and Ranjan Ramanayake visited the place of the shooting incident as opposition MPs and promised to investigate the matter and punish the offenders soon after they formed a government they too were totally silent about the whole issue. Therefore they would request the government to bring those responsible for the shooting to justice.

The Association members said those who opened fire at the Rathupaswala people who demonstrated and others who summoned the Army to the spot were still moving about freely while cases had been filed against some people who participated in the demonstration.

They said the names of persons who summoned the Army had still not been divulged and it was up to the CID investigating the incident to go into this matter as well. Environmentalist Ravindra Kariyawasam also spoke.

source . http://www.dailynews.lk/?q=2015%2F12%2F31%2Flocal%2Fpresident-has-failed-fulfill-his-promise-rathupaswala-people