IPU assures to look into grievances: JO

The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Secretary-General had assured to look into the concerns raised by the Joint Opposition (JO) MPs over violation of rights of MPs and democratic value in Sri Lanka, MP Dullas Alahapperuma said yesterday.

A team of three JO MPs led by its National Organiser MP Alahapperuma met the Secretary-General Martin Chungong and Rogier Huizenga, Head of IPU’s Human Rights Programme at IPU House in Switzerland on Thursday.

Speaking to the Daily Mirror from Geneva, the MP said they briefed the IPU officials about the arrest of JO MPs, impounding of their passports, postponement of elections for local government bodies and provincial councils, procedural irregularities in passing legislature and issues of allocating adequate time for JO MPs in Parliament.

“We, the JO, are the second largest group in Parliament with 55 MPs. This is one-fourth of the members of Parliament but we have only been given 15% of speech time for a day. Today, passports of 11 MPs had been impounded,” he said.

He said Secretary-General Chungong instructed IPU HR Head Huizenga to obtain details of arrests of JO MPs and assured that he would speak with Speaker Karu Jayasuriya over the matters raised by the MPs.

The group including MPs Vasudeva Nanayakkara and Gamini Lokuge is also scheduled to meet representatives of the International Labour Organization (ILO) over alleged harassment of trade union leaders and politically motivated charges levelled against personnel.

The MPs are also scheduled to take part in events organised by the Sri Lankan community in Switzerland. (Lahiru Pothmulla)