Sri Lanka Marxist party blames government for the shooting incident in Hambantota

Sri Lanka's Marxist party Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) today blamed the government for the shooting incident in Katuwana, Hambantota last evening where an unidentified group had shot at a party meeting killing two people. JVP General Secretary Tilvin Silva told a press conference that
the persons who had shot at the JVP meeting were underworld figures in the area affiliated to the government. He said the people in the area knew the assailants who were responsible for the shooting. "These goons have even made speeches on stages during election time in support of certain members of the government," he said. He added that although the senior government members boast of democracy in the country, there was no democracy for any other political party to carry out any political work in their constituency in Hambantota, the electorate of the President. Silva also denied the statement made by the government that the shooting incident was a result of an internal rift in the party. He said the JVP dissidents in the Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) could not carry out a shooting since the party did not have a proper support. The Frontline Socialist Party recently handed over a letter to the Inspector General of Police accusing the JVP of trying to assassinate FSP members. Silva noted that the party would take this shooting incident internationally and try and bring those responsible to the book. The JVP is to hold a massive protest against the shooting in Colombo on Tuesday (19).