• Responds to Oppo.’s defence of lawyer involved in incident Sandaru Kumarasinghe
• Premadasa calls police action harassment, calls on PM to intervene to avert further action   

Following several politicians including Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, raising concerns about Sandaru Kumarasinghe – who had allegedly caused a disturbance last week in the visa issuance section at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) at Katunayake after raising question about the processing of visa applications – being summoned by the Police, the Minister of Public Security Tiran Alles said that they would not prolong the issue.

Video clips circulated on social media platforms last week showing an incoming passenger at the BIA claiming that ‘Indian’ personnel were handling Sri Lanka's immigration and emigration-related processes. The Airport Police in Katunayake had then summoned the individual in question, Kumarasinghe, to record a statement on Monday (6).

Speaking in the Parliament yesterday (7), Premadasa said that Kumarasinghe had voiced his opinion about an issue at the BIA, gaining attention on social media platforms. Emphasising that Sri Lanka is not a State governed by the Police, he expressed his opposition to Kumarasinghe being summoned by the Police. “Any harassment or further action against him is unwarranted. The matter should be considered closed to prevent unnecessary escalation. I urge Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardana to step in to ensure that this doesn't go any further,” he said. 

Opposition Parliamentarian and National Freedom Front Leader Wimal Weerawansa also spoke about the incident and remarked that while it is not appropriate to behave disruptively at an airport, there are far more pressing issues that should be addressed within Sri Lanka's airports. “The focus should be on reducing the inconveniences faced by passengers. This person's (Kumarasinghe) reaction could be seen as a reasonable response to his frustration due to delays in the process. Therefore, treat him with understanding and don’t take any excessive measures against him.”

In response to the concerns, Alles argued that they wanted to determine whether Kumarasinghe's complaint was due to a genuine issue or if it was influenced by political motives. “We have identified the political party involved and understand the matters behind this incident. Now, there are attempts to spin the narrative in a different way. We are even aware of those who showed up when he was summoned to the Police station. I'm not saying that we intend to pursue this further, but, when such an incident occurs, it's necessary to take action and record a statement. That's what the Police did.”

Several Immigration and Emigration officers who were on duty at the BIA on the day of the incident in question had also been summoned to the Airport Police on 5 May, to record statements. Alles claimed on Monday that it had come to light that it was some Immigration and Emigration officers who had videotaped the incident of Kumarasinghe expressing his opposition to the visa issuance processes at the BIA last week.  

The decision by the Minister of Public Security and the Police to summon Kumarasinghe to record a statement, drew criticism from many, questioning if the move was warranted.