 |
|
|
|
| News Stories |
|
|
|
Home Mail2Lanka News Sports World Previous Stories |
60,000 amass in Colombo Against Anti-People Govt.
January 08 Lankatruth: More than 60,000 people participated at a protest movement on the these, “Drive away the treacherous government!” organized by the JVP in Colombo today (8th). Masses who gathered at Campbell Park at Borella, Lake House roundabout at Fort and Hendry Pedric Grounds at Havelock Town marched to Lipton Circus in three giant demonstrations. “The government which betrays the country, burden the masses and sell national resources, go home!” was the slogan shouted and displayed by many of the demonstrators. The three demonstrations led by leaders of the JVP including Mr. Tilvin Silva, General Secretary, Mr. Wimal Weerawanse, Propaganda Secretary and Leader of the Group Of Parliamentarians commenced their march at 3.00 p.m. from the respective venues and reached Lipton Circus at about 4.30 p.m. Mr. Tilvin Silva, General Secretary speaking to the massive crowd that over poured Lipton Circus said, “Year 2003 won’t be a year of betraying the country to the tigers. This will be a year which will smash the power of tigers and drive away the unpatriotic UNP government to establish a new patriotic government. Today we took the fist step towards this. This sea of humanity shows that this step has been more than successful. To defeat the elephant-tiger unholy alliance all those who like to live in a unitary Sri Lanka with a genuinely peaceful atmosphere, where the dignity of all Sinhalese, Tamil and Muslim people are secured must unite said Mr. Silva. Next Mr. Wimal Weerawanse making a fiery speech said, “The government today is an anti-peoples government. It is a government which has betrayed the Sinhalese, Tamil and Muslim people to the murderer tigers and knelt before them. This government has done nothing but fattening the tigers during a year of their rule. This government which sells the national resources for penny, burden the innocent people with taxes and axe the rights of the toiling people will not last long. Today we came alone. Tomorrow we will come here united with all the parties of the opposition. On that day Ranil Wickremasinghe and his regime will have to go home. We will take all what we could do in the Parliament and out of it like this massive protest movements to send this treacherous government home in seven or eight full moon days. We call upon all Sinhalese, Tamil and Muslim patriots to rally round to do this,” he concluded. The protest movement which was very peaceful had been hindered by the police at certain places says Mr. Nandana Gunathileke. Mr. Gunathileke says that the demonstration in which he participated had started from Hendry Pedris grounds at Havelock Town but hadn’t been allowed to march along the assigned route but was diverted through unpopulated areas. (09/01/03 go2lanka.com) |