UNP parliamentarian Lakshman Kiriella said today that a Sri Lankan High Commissioner had been assaulted for the first time in the history of this country and urged that the law should be enforced against those involved in this shameful incident.

“The High Commissioner to Britain has been assaulted by a MP in the presence of the President and officials of the External Affairs Ministry. I have never in my whole life seen or heard of such an incident. The law should be enforced against the minister who is reported to have been involved in the incident. The law should also be enforced against those who were present at the time of the incident,” he said.

Mr. Kiriella said India and its independent judiciary had earned much praise by enforcing the law against Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalitha Jeyaram and asked whether such a sentence could be expected in Sri Lanka.

“When former Chief Justice Shiranthi Bandaranayake gave a verdict against the Divi Neguma Bill, an impeachment motion was brought against her. That is the situation here,” he said.

Mr. Kiriella said what was important was to re-establish an Independent Judicial Commission, an Independent Police Commission, and Independent Elections Commission  and an Independent Public Service Commission in the country.

“The 17th Amendment should be implemented to ensure the rule of law in Sri Lanka. It was introduced during the then United National Party UNP regime so that those institutions could function without any political interference. Only one MP opposed the Amendment at the time it was approved in Parliament,” he said. (Ajith Siriwardana)