Less that 24 hours after the Weliweriya shooting the Army has announced that an internal inquiry will take place, the Colombo Crime Division has been ordered to investigate police actions, the Sri Lankan government has appointed a committee to investigate the grievances of the protesters regarding the contamination of the water, and the JVP has condemned violence against those protesting for a "basic human need".
The army's internal inquiry was announced by the newly appointed Army Commander, Liutenant General Daya Rathnayake. The inquiry board will be headed by Major General Jagath Dias. See here.
The Colombo Crime Division has been ordered to investigate the incident, according to a senior police officer. See here.
The government's probe into possible water contamination will be led by Gampaha District Secretary, and include professionals from the National Water Supply and Drainage Board, Environmental Authority, Water Resources Board, Geological and Mining Bureau and academic experts of the Moratuwa and Peradeniya Universities. The committee is to submit its report within ten days. See here.
Condemning the attack, the JVP parliamentarian, Vijitha Herath said:
“We vehemently condemn the attack carried out on innocent unarmed civilians who were protesting for a basic human need. The government did not pay attention to this issue even though thousands of people took to the street and a Buddhist monk staged a fast unto death. If the government had acted swiftly to resolve this issue, this tragedy would not have happened,”
See also: Military shoot at protesters in Weliweriya (02 Aug 2013)
We need your support
Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. Tamil journalists are particularly at threat, with at least 41 media workers known to have been killed by the Sri Lankan state or its paramilitaries during and after the armed conflict.
Despite the risks, our team on the ground remain committed to providing detailed and accurate reporting of developments in the Tamil homeland, across the island and around the world, as well as providing expert analysis and insight from the Tamil point of view
We need your support in keeping our journalism going. Support our work today.
For more ways to donate visit https://donate.tamilguardian.com.
