FARMERS GIVE UP FAST UNTO DEATH AFTER ASSURANCES BY ALLIANCE LEADERS TO BRING DOWN UREA PRICES AFTER APRIL
By Walter Jayawardhana reporting from Los Angeles
February 11, 08.30 AM: The thirteen farmer protesters who started a fast unto death in front of Colombo’s main railway terminal, Fort station demanding the UNF government to bring down Urea fertilizer prizes gave up their protest after leaders of the newly formed United Freedom Alliance gave firm assurances to the fasting farmers that their demands would be met by a coming alliance government on April 3 general elections
Leaders of the United Freedom Alliance, Anura Bandaranaike, Wimal Weerawansa , Venerable Elle Gunawansa and Arjuna Ranatunga gave assurance to the protesting farmers that not only the fertilizer prizes would be brought down but all other demands of them would be met after the new alliance of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) forms a new government after the coming general elections
Former Speaker Anura Bandaranaike , first of all offered a glass of sweet king coconut water to the 68 year old woman farmer, Asilin Nona from Polonnaruwa who was among the 13 fasting farmers including the farmer Member of the just dissolved parliament S.K. Subasinghe of the JVP requesting them to end the protest fast
The protest fast was started by the All Ceylon Peasants Federation in Colombo and in many outstation towns. Suspected UNP goons attacked a fasting farmer in Anuradhapura injuring him. Organizers said the Colombo fast as well as the outstations ones would be ended since the promises of the new alliance which is likely to form a new government.
The fast unto death in Colombo was started, February 6, after the United National Front (UNF) government refused to subsidize the Urea price, an essential fertilizer , to grow the country’s staple of rice. The Peasants organization charged that a bag of fertilizer was selling nearly 1000 Rupees in the market while the government said it could not bring it less than for 800 Rupees. The All Ceylon Peasant’s Federation said when a bag of urea that was formerly selling for 350 Rupees shot up to nearly 1000 Rupees rice farming became an impossible task and large field of rice were on the verge of abandonment, in outstations like Polonnaruwa, Anuradhapura, Ampara, and Minneriya
Reports from Colombo said the thirteen fasting farmers in Colombo looked weak at the time they gave up the fast. One of the fasters who joined the campaign, Jayantha Weerasekera, President of the Bagathalawa organization of the farmers had to be hospitalized due to sudden deterioration of health.
Addressing the farmers former speaker Anura Bandaranaike said that the government of Ranil Wickremesinghe increased the price of a bag of urea from 350 Rupees to 1000 Rupees. He said a new alliance government would bring down the urea price and resolve this burning question of millions of farmers.
He said many conspiracies were hatched by the UNP to prevent the formation of the United Freedom Alliance of the SLFP and JVP . “However we defeated all those conspiracies by forming the alliance on January 20 , he said.
Wimal Weerawansa said he requested the farmers to give up the protest since the new alliance was determined not only to resolve the fertilizer prize but also to make the farmer a dignified person in the society in all aspects.
