JO protest ends with one man’s death, several taken to hospital

Joint opposition Parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa apologised to the public for any inconvenienced caused as a result of the joint opposition protest staged in Colombo yesterday. However he says they had no choice but to stage the protest to show the Government the people want change.

 “I also want to apologize to the public if this protest was any kind of hinderance to you. We had no choice but to truly show the Govt. how much the people in this country long for change. Our fight will continue until we secure their right to chose their leaders democratically,” he tweeted. He also thanked those who attended the protest walk and rally saying it was the first step to send the Government home.

 “I also want to thank each & every one of you who took the time to take part in this #ජනබලයකොළඹට protest from all parts of #LKA to voice your opinion despite Govt. intimidation. You took the first step in the quest of sending this Govt. home. Let’s continue to fight for better LK,” he said. (Colombo Gazette)

The Joint Opposition (JO) protest ended last night with one man being reported dead and several taken to hospital. Police spokesman SP Ruwan Gunasekera said that one person had died after suffering from a heart attack.

 Gunasekera said that the man reported dead was a resident of Thalawakele and he had arrived in Colombo to take part in the protest. The Police spokesman also said that several people had sought treatment in hospital last night from suspected food poisoning.

 He said that while the actual number could not be confirmed yet, reports indicated that around 25 people had sought treatment at the Colombo National hospital.

Asked if there were any arrests, the Police spokesman said that no one linked to the protest was arrested. He also said that there were no major incidents reported related to the joint opposition protest.

The protest ended prematurely last night despite a call by the joint opposition leaders for the protest vigil to continue till this morning.

Meanwhile, the road opposite Lake House was cleared this morning for vehicular movement after being partially closed from last evening as a result of the protest. (Colombo Gazette)