Cnci concerned over attacks on civilians, property

The Ceylon National Chamber of Industries (CNCI) thoroughly condemns the attacks on peaceful and unarmed protesters and other innocent civilians of any sort as well as the property.

The government should ensure the right to peaceful protest and the security forces are responsible for taking timely action against public disorder, promptly investigating and appropriately prosecuting acts of violence. The curfew has been imposed island-wide for the third consecutive day which is a huge economic blow which will add further burden to our dying economy.

CNCI is of the view that taking several hundreds of people to Colombo who are said to be supporters of the former Prime Minister was not a wise decision if the ground situation prevailed in the city were correctly identified. It was the beginning of the episode and the attack on peaceful protesters did spark a dangerous escalation, increasing the risk of further deadly violence and other abuses throughout the country.

It is high time we understood the reality and the authorities should be sensible to show the world that the Sri Lankan government respects human rights and fundamental freedoms in a manner that friendly international governments and other institutions such as IMF and the World Bank encourage to assist us at this needy hour to rise as one nation.

We as industrialists do have thousands of issues which have been further worsened with the curfew imposed hampering all the processes starting from material clearance to order delivery. We reiterate to all the parties of political and social circles that acts of violence are not the solution to the crises we are facing now as it drags the country from bad to worse.

We as the only National Chamber for Industries urge all the political party leaders to act more responsibly, placing the country before self-gain. Further we request government forces/police to restore law & order and peace in our motherland.