Court order on protesting employees at H’tota port

The Hambantota Magistrate’s Court today issued an order containing seven conditions to stop the protest and Satayagraha by the Hambantota Port employees as it hampered the activities of the Port.

Magistrate Manjula Karunaratne ordered the protesters not to block the entrance to the Port, not to damage the vessels calling to the Port and sailing from the Port, not to intimidate the Police and Naval personnel arriving at the Port, provide any apparatus or keys required for the Port activities when demanded by the responsible official without any delay, not to damage any property of the Port, not obstruct any trade union action of the Ports Authority and not to use property of the Port for any trade union action.

Hambantota ASP Prasanna De Alwis handed over the court order to the protestors and the protestors had accepted it.

Port Employees’ Union president Suranga Lakmal said they would continue their protests abiding by the conditions of the court order until they get employment at the Ports Authority.

He said they would remove the tent set up at the Port’s entrance and would set it up somewhere else so that activities of the Port would not be obstructed as ordered by the court.(Sanath Gamage)