SC suspends 'dislodging'

Wasantha Ramanayake

COLOMBO: The Supreme Court yesterday stopped the alleged forced evacuation of Tamil civilians from the Colombo City until the final determination of a fundamental rights application. In terms of the court order the Police and the Security Forces had been refrained from any further evacuation of Tamils and also preventing any Tamil from coming back into the City.

The order was a sequel to an application by the petitioner the Centre for Policy Alternatives, a non-Governmental Organisation alleging that the rights of Tamils who had been forcibly removed from lodges in Colombo and suburbs had been violated.

The petitioner cited the IGP, the OICs of the Wellawatte, Pettah, Kotahena and Wattala police stations, the commanders of the three Armed Forces, the Defence Secretary and the Attorney General as respondents.

The Bench Comprised Justice Nimal Dissanayake, Justice Nimal Gamini Amaratunga and Justice Andrew Somawansa.

Counsel for petitioner M.A. Sumanthiran submitted that the IGP at a media briefing stated that the Tamils who lived in lodges in the city without any valid reason would be evacuated. The Counsel also submitted that the evacuation was in violation of the Freedom of Movement guaranteed by the Constitution and would be in breach of the Geneva Convention Article 147.

M.A. Sumanthiran with Viran Corea, Sharmaine Guneratne and Ermiza Tegal appeared for the petitioner.