Government will be suspected for the assault: Minister

Media Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena said yesterday that the Government will be suspected for the assault on Journalist Namal Perera and British High Commission political officer Mahendra Ratnaweera, if police fail to identify the real culprits behind the attack.

Addressing a media conference yesterday he said the attack was a blow to the two media ministers and the committee against media violence as the incident took place in the lawn of its establishment.

“We urge the police to catch the culprits behind the attack which has created a shameful and loathsome feeling within us. The police have already deployed two police squads to investigate the incident,” he said.

He further said that the Ministers were aware of the assault after a few minutes of the incident and took steps to inform the President who acted immediately to provide security to the hospital that the two injured persons were admitted.

“The Police have identified the vehicles using the numbers on the number plates, but later on it was reported that the vehicles were not white vans and had no connection with the incident,” he said.

Meanwhile expressing his views about the upcoming strike actions he said that the working people of the country should refrain from participating in the strike on July10 as it is conducted to fulfill certain political agendas and that several trade unions have pledged their support to the government to refrain from the strike.

“The salary increase of Rs.1000 is the maximum that the government could provide right now while a large sum of money is spent on the war. The Defence expenditure has reached Rs.63 billion in 2008 from the Rs.30.9 billion in 2004,” he said adding that the salary expenditures of the government has increased up to Rs. 233 billion in 2008 from Rs. 214 billion in 2007.

“We know that the people are having a hard time. We request them to be patient until this war ends and we will be able to provide their needs more efficiently afterwards,” he added.