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Trouble feared at tomorrow's demo
By Shelani Perera
President Chandrika Kumaratunga who is the head of the government has requested Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to provide additional security for tomorrow's anti-government demonstration in Colombo amidst claims that pro-government groups are set to create violence and have opposition members arrested.

The President in a letter to the Prime Minister on Friday said she had been informed by SLFP General Secretary Maithripala Sirisena that groups were planning to create disturbances and to blame opposition members so that police could arrest them like during the 1983 communal riots.

The President has instructed that the Government should take serious note of such action and be responsible for any arrest of their members. In view of this, additional security has been requested for tomorrow's protest.

Meanwhile a spokesman of the Prime Minister's office said that the Prime Minister reacting to President's communication had instructed Interior Minister John Amaratunga to take maximum security to prevent such acts.

Mr. Amaratunga told The Sunday Times he had instructed the IGP to take maximum security measures for tomorrow's protest. "We have received reports that the protestors are planning to burn buses and shops and to provoke the police so that arrests will be made and they can create an issue. We will not allow this, we know the backgrounds of the JVP and other parties so we will be on the look out," the minister said.

Several roads around the Town Hall area, the venue for the protest rally will be closed for traffic tomorrow afternoon, while traffic police expect that there would be traffic congestion in the city due to the protest rally.

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