Katunayake incident:

Info sought to identify outsiders

The security forces have appealed to the employees of the Katunayake Free Trade Zone to co-operate with them in identifying the outside elements who had mingled with the workers to create chaos and mayhem with the intention of sabotaging Government efforts to reach a settlement with the agitating workers, on the proposed private sector pension scheme.

Information has been received by security intelligence that certain disruptive elements had surreptitiously made their way into the protest with the intention of provoking the Police into using force.

Persons who were not employees of the FTZ had participated in the protest campaign on May 30 in Katunayake, it is learnt.

Meanwhile a Department of Government Information release stated that the President has already appointed a one man committee comprising retired Supreme Court Judge Mahanama Tilakaratne to find out and report on the disturbance that followed the steps to contain of the protest campaign of FTZ workers.

The security forces have received information that the protest campaign, despite the government’s decision not to include FTZ workers to the proposed pension scheme, launched on May 30, was an attempt by bankrupt political groups to achieve their goals at the cost of the FTZ workers.

These political groups appear to have attempted to commit the errors committed down history by involving the Police in a conflict situation.

Information has also been received that these bankrupt politicians were making their utmost to come to power by injecting new life to their bankrupt political movements, even at a time when the country is on the threshold of massive development after 30 years of terrorist violence.

The fullest cooperation of the people has been received for the implementation of all progressive projects launched by the government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa. But the Government will never tend to force the people to accept any policy which they are against. Rather, it will implement all the programmes with the full understanding of the people’s wishes and aspirations. Even the proposed pension scheme was presented to the workers to get their views.

Meanwhile the Free Trade Zone (FTZ) worker, Roshen Shanaka, 21, succumbed to his injuries yesterday while he was undergoing treatment at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Ragama Hospital.

Police spokesman SP Prishantha Jayakody said Shanaka who was injured during the clash between the police and the FTZ workers admitted to the Ragama hospital with severe head injuries on Monday.