Political force behind FTZ incident - Minister

Disna MUDALIGE

'A certain political force seeking petty political gains was behind the tense situation that erupted at the Katunayake Free Trade Zone (FTZ),' said Environment Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa. He said that the unfortunate incident was a result of the poisoning of the minds of the FTZ employees through misleading information spread by a certain group.

He also said that the CID is conducting further investigations on this issue. He said that the incident took place at a time when the government had already announced that it has decided not to proceed with the Private Sector Pension Scheme to allow further discussions on it. "The government proposed it with good intention. But if the private sector employees do not consent to it, we do not want to force it on them," he said.

The minister was responding to a question by a journalist at a press conference held at the Ministry premises yesterday. The minister on the direction of the President went to Ragama hospital on Tuesday to inquire about the condition of the injured persons in the turmoil.

"The government has ensured the best medical treatment from specialist doctors for the injured in this incident," the minister observed.