The Church of Ceylon raised its grave concern over the government’s move of imposing a state of emergency in the country whilst declaring the anti-government protests held two days ago to be an act committed by an ‘extremist group’.
The Church of Ceylon questioned the government’s motive in rushing to identify parties allegedly responsible within such a short period of time without stating any credible basis for such conclusion, in a statement issued today (02).
Pointing out that what the country experienced on March 31 night was the culmination of small-scale agitations and peaceful protests carried out the entire week in several areas of the country, calling on the government to wake up from its slumber, the Church of Ceylon stressed that the President and the government should listen to the cries of the people of this country and fulfill their fundamental obligations as a responsible administration.
It further noted that the declaration of a state of emergency will be an incentive for the Executive, the Police and Armed Forces to act with impunity, urging the Police the STF and the Armed Forces to act with discernment when differentiating between peaceful gatherings of solidarity and unruly behaviour.
MIAP
