Violence erupts in protest against Fonseka arrest, police fire tear gas

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 10 February 2010, 13:11 GMT]
Opposition protest held Wednesday at Hultsdorf in Colombo against the arrest and detention of General (retd) Sarath Fonseka turned violent when a pro-government group attacked the protestors. Both groups thereafter started attacking each other. Protestors were also seen attacking the police personnel. Both groups used iron rods and clubs. Stones were pelted. Journalists at the scene said they saw clubs being unloaded from a car to attack the protestors.

Protestors began their demonstration from Hultsdorf towards Premadasa Stadium when two groups engaged in fight. Thereafter police started firing tear gas canisters to quell the disturbance. Some reports said a few were injured in the attack.

Meanwhile, Colombo Chief Magistrate Champa Janaki Rajaratne Wednesday morning refused a motion to obtain an order to stop the opposition protest near Hultsdorf.

Keselwatte OIC IP Udeni Wijebandara filed the motion to prevent the demonstrators advancing from Hultsdorf.

The Magistrate said that there was no need to obtain a court order as the police had sufficient powers to act on their own.