Special Presidential Comm. solely to witch hunt political opponents: JVP

While denouncing the appointment of a Special Presidential  Commission to implement the recommendations of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) on political victimization, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) said today it was solely to witch-hunt political opponents.

JVP General Secretary Tilvin Silva told a news conference that a Presidential Commission with jurisdictional powers has been appointed after 42 years and that only two such commissions were appointed in the past.

He said the first commission with jurisdictional powers was appointed in 1972 by the United Front Government and the second was in 1978 during the J.R. Jayawardene Government.

Mr. Silva said those two commissions were also appointed with similar motives to revenge the political opponents and added that such moves would not be approved by any decent society.

He said President Rajapaksa was also following JR's steps, and added the President is trying to witch-hunt his political opponents by appointing a so called Commission to probe incidents of political victimization.

The JVP General Secretary said the two motives of this special Presidential Commission with jurisdiction powers are to remove cases against Rajapaksa family and their close associates and also to punish their political opponents.

He also requested the law-abiding citizens to come forward to defeat these arbitrary moves of the government.(Ajith Siriwardana)