The members of Trishaw Operators Associations in Dambulla, Sigiriya, and Habarana areas yesterday staged a massive protect against the arrest of six trishaw drivers on charges of assaulting a car driver transporting a tourist and over robbery of a gold chain.

The six suspects taken into custody had been produced in court and remanded. The protesters said the complainant was a former soldier of the army who had had forwarded nominations to contest the election to Thambuttegama Pradeshiya Sabha representing the National People’s Power (NPP)

They said he had clashed for two days with the trishaw operators in Dambulla town when transporting a tourist in his car and behaved in an unruly manner claiming that he was a supporter of the government.

They pointed out that he had later made a false complaint to the IGP that he was assaulted and robbed him of his gold chain that resulted in the arrest of six trishaw operators who were produced in court and remanded.

The protesters said by allowing individuals from other areas to operate taxi services in Dambulla town would result in the loss of livelihood of hundreds of trishaw operators in the area.

They accused the police of arbitrary arrest of six trishaw drivers at the instigation of senior police officials, without a formal investigation of the complaint made by an individual who had forwarded nominations to contest the local government election under the banner of the NPP.

They said they did not expect the government of political favour to its supporters in this manner and political interference. They requested the IGP to hold formal investigations based on data on CCTV and to mete out justice. Dambulla police had deployed a police contingent to step up security in the town.

The free distribution of 20 kilos of rice per person by the previous government before the Presidential election has resulted in the shortage of red rice in the market, Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development Minister Wasantha Samarasinghe said today.

According to the Examinations Department, the evaluation of the answer scrips of the 2024 Grade 5 Scholarship Examination is scheduled to begin today (08).

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The Sri Lanka Navy has reported significant achievements in its 2024 operations, seizing over 622kg of heroin, valued at Rs. 15.55 billion and more than 1,211kg of Crystal Methamphetamine (ICE), worth Rs. 11.5 billion.

The government is aiming to increase the quality in the tourism sector just as quantity in order to attract high-end tourists to the country, Minister of Foreign Affairs Vijitha Herath said.