Sri Lanka Marxist party vows to continue battle against constitutional amendments

Sri Lanka's Marxist party Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) today said the party would continue with its island wide campaigns against the government's constitutional amendments and fight for democracy.

JVP General Secretary Tilvin Silva addressing thousands of JVP supporters who held a protest march from the Ayurvedha roundabout in Rajagiriya to the parliament said they called on the President, the government and the opposition members who are to vote for the amendments to think twice before passing them.
The protest march was allowed to proceed till parliament by the police. However, Silva said that many party members could not attend the march as their buses had been stopped from reaching Colombo from the outstations by the police.

"As a result, people in those areas carried out the protests in their respective districts. The police move resulted in one protest campaign being converted into an island wide campaign," he said.

The police, he said had prevented JVP supporters from attending the protest in Colombo in the Hakmana, Matara, Anuradhapura and Badulla areas.

Silva said the constitutional amendments were dangerous as it destroys democracy and although it is said that the President could be voted out of power when the people wanted, it would not be so due to the lack of independent commissions.