A protest has been staged in front of the Presidential Secretariat against the distribution of agricultural lands in Trincomalee to private companies and the encroachment of forest land for development projects.
Protesters were seen holding banners urging the halting of 600 acres of paddy land in the Muththunagar area in Trincomalee being distributed to Indian Companies, and the encroachment of forest lands.
Participating in the protest, student activists Wasantha Mudalige and Lahiru Weerasekara engaged in a heated discussion with a senior Police official outside the Presidential Secretariat.
During the conversation, Wasantha Mudalige claimed that the protest is being held due to the authorities having failed to provide a solution to the issue, which was discussed two weeks ago.
“We need a response today. You can’t lie to us. We need a discussion with the President’s Secretary today. The President previously promised a date for discussions. We have arrived today, due to the situation having reached an unbearable stage,” Mudalige told the Police officer. (Islandnews)
