Unarmed policemen attacked by FTZ workers

Vijayani Edirisinghe

A group of nearly 20 unarmed policemen were injured and hospitalised following an attack by employees attached to Katunayake FTZ during a protest campaign yesterday morning. Ten of them including DIG Ravi Wijegunawardena who faced the brunt of the attack were seriously injured. Several buildings including the Katunayake Police Station and four vehicles have been badly damaged by the stones and other missiles hurled by the protesting employees.

Police media spokesman Prishantha Jayakody said the FTZ employees launched the protest campaign around 10 am yesterday.

Later Deputy Minister Sarath Gunaratne, Parliamentarian Sudarshanee Fernandopulle and Provincial Minister Nimal Lanza arrived on the scene and tried to pacify the crowd by explaining matters peacefully and requesting them to resolve problems in a peaceful manner through discussion.

Police said investigations revealed that the protest had been instigated by a group of conspirators. Protesters disrupted traffic by blocking the Colombo-Negombo road for nearly an hour and causing anxiety among the public. Some pedestrians along the Colombo-Negombo road had also received minor injuries when some of the missiles struck them, said SP Chandana Galappaththy who was also injured in the incident.

Later, the STF too was summoned to the scene to defuse the situation.

Nearly 100 suspects have been arrested by Police for alleged involvement in the attack.

The injured are receiving indoor treatment at the Negombo Hospital while several other injured persons were discharged after OPD treatment.

Two special Police teams have been dispatched to Katunayake to assist in the investigations into the incident.