• Dolawatte wants ‘aragalaya’ era property damage compensation probed  

Former Parliamentarian Premanath C. Dolawatte urged the Government to issue an apology to the public for allegedly releasing 323 containers without conducting the relevant inspections during the recent congestion at the Colombo Port.

Claiming that the Government has been unable to provide an acceptable explanation about the ownership of these containers, he said during a media briefing that the release of these containers raises questions of transparency on the part of the Government and the Customs, and could also potentially pose a threat to the country. He raised concerns as to whether modern arms needed for terrorist activities were imported through these containers.

“There is only one way to answer these questions. Reveal to whom these containers belong and where they were sent,” he said, adding that the Government’s silence in the face of continuous questions about the containers in question is concerning.

In addition, with regard to the Government’s plans to investigate the provision of compensation for politicians whose properties were damaged during the public uprising on 9 May 2022 in the context of the ‘aragalaya’ protest movement, the former Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna MP urged the Government to formally initiate probes, so that those who received compensation could respond to the related allegations and name as suspects those who instigated these attacks without taking part directly.