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The Mount Lavinia Police investigating Sunday's alleged attempt to set fire to the Bata Factory at Ratmalana yesterday produced six suspects, including Piyasena Hettiarachchi, the JVP Deputy Secretary of the Inter Company Trade Union, before the Mount Lavinia Magistrate and Additional District Judge Aruna Ranasinghe.

They were remanded till September 16.

Hettiarachchi of Kandy Road, Dalugama, Kelaniya is not an employee of the Bata factory, police investigations revealed.

The other five suspects are Asoka Dharmakeerthi Weerasinghe of Matara, N. W. Sampath Kumar of Nikadalupotha, S. Ajith Sanjeewa Soysa of Waskaduwa, Chaminda Prabath Wanigasekera of Talawathugoda and K. Udaya Nishantha of Boossa, Galle.

Investigations directed by Western Province South DIG Sirisena Herath and conducted by Mount Lavinia Senior SP W.P. Dayaratne revealed that the timely intervention of the police everted a major fire at the factory.

The investigators said that Police was forced to open water canons on persons who were on the factory roof attempting to set fire to it, and some of them fell off the roof sustaining minor injuries.

Several cans of petrol which had been brought to set fire to the factory were also recovered by the Police at the scene of the incident. A number of mobile telephones were also recovered from the possession of the suspects.

The suspects had entered the factory premises after threatening the security personnel and had climed the rooftop with several cans of petrol in order to` set fire to the factory.

Chief Inspector Chandana Athukorale, HQI, Mount Lavinia with Inspector Harsha Amarasinghe, OIC, CDB, Mount Lavinia, Inspectors Weerakoon and Nugera of the Mount Lavinia police are assisting the investigations.

Meanwhile, a press release issued by the JVP Media Unit stated that the suspects arrested in connection with the incident at the Bata Factory, Ratmalana are a group of employees dismissed by the Company who had been conducting a peaceful protest against their dismissal at Ratmalana junction. (SM)

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