Disabled soldier admitted to hospital

A disabled soldier, K.D. Dayaratne, who had launched a fast-unto death at the Fort Railway Station, had been admitted to the Colombo National Hospital a short while ago due to a health condition.

Four disabled soldiers launched a fast-unto death at the Fort Railway Station on Tuesday claiming that their demands had not been granted by the authorities.

Hospital sources said Dayaratne was admitted to the Emergency Treatment Unit due to Dehydration.

“His health condition is not serious,” Hospital sources said.

Mawbima Wenuwen Ranawiruwo Organisation Convener Attorney-at-Law Ajith Prasanna told Daily Mirror the group of disabled soldiers were staging their protest at the Fort Railway station based on four demands of which the Government had granted one of them.

“The other three demands are to continue paying the salary and allowance to the family members of the disabled solders even after their death, to continue paying the salary and allowance to the wives of the deceased war veterans even after they completed retirement age of 55 years and to pay the salary and allowance to the father and mother of at the death of an unmarried soldier,” he said. “The disabled soldiers will fight until their demands are granted.”

Meanwhile, Disabled Soldiers Association convener Nishantha Mahiraj said it was clear that Minister Mangala Samaraweera was not going to meet their demands.

“Those people, who are in power, do not understand the state we are in. It is useless,” he said.  (Sheain Fernandopulle)