Politic-Economic-Society-Tech

Two dead as Lankan police fire on demonstrators, opposition leader

Sri Lanka's main opposition leader yesterday accused police of trying to assassinate him as they fired teargas and live rounds at demonstrators demanding the restoration of parliament, which President Chandrika Kumaratunga suspended last week. 
At least two persons were killed and another 25 were seriously wounded after thousands of protesters defied a government ban on the rally. Scores of others were wounded in Colombo's suburbs. 

Ranil Wickremesinghe, whose main opposition United National Party (UNP) led the protests, accused the government of trying to assassinate him by firing at his jeep, but said he was saved by his bodyguards who pushed him to the floor and whisked him away.

"I have just spoken to the IGP (Inspector General of Police Lucky Kodituwakku) and told him that they deliberately tried to kill me," the former prime minister said. "I was not hurt thanks to my security men." 

Wickremesinghe, who was wearing a bullet-proof jacket, said he identified the police officer who gave orders to attack him at Colombo's southeastern entry point of Nugegoda, but said he was encouraged that army soldiers did not cooperate with police and shoot at demonstrators. 

Truckloads of heavily armed soldiers took a back seat and watched as police kept on firing a massive barrage of tear gas and rubber bullets into thousands of men and women advancing on the capital along six main roads. 

A senior police officer said yesterday's teargas attacks were the heaviest seen in the capital in decades. Police units in several places were heard calling for replenishment of teargas and rubber bullets. 

In most of the clashes, protesters lobbed back the teargas canisters at police. 

The protests were called to pressure Kumaratunga to restore parliament, which she last week suspended until September 7 to avoid a no-confidence vote her minority government was almost certain to lose. 

The opposition, which has defied the suspension by meeting in the parliament building, is now seeking to impeach Kumaratunga on charges of violating the constitution. 

The beleaguered president had declared Thursday's opposition demonstration illegal and asked police to take tough action to break it up. 

Dozens of men and women were wounded in police shooting, witnesses and officials said. 

Doctors at the Colombo South hospital said three people admitted were brought there in a critical condition and at least one of them had been shot and wounded by an automatic rifle or a pistol. 

There were unconfirmed reports that an opposition legislator was hit by a teargas canister and wounded. 

Just before Wickremesinghe arrived at the suburb of Nugegoda, a man with severe head injuries was carried away by other activists as police kept firing teargas. 

A crowd estimated by police at 8,000 sat on the main road at the chief northeastern entry point to the city at Peliyagoda after police baton-charged protesters who tried to cross a key bridge and enter the city.
(AFP, Colombo)

source: The Daily Star International News, 20.07.2001