Opposition march carries 'SL economy' in coffin

[TamilNet, Friday, 26 January 2001, 16:31 GMT]
Hundreds of opposition United National Party members and supporters marched through a busy suburb of Colombo Friday, carrying a coffin and protesting against the steeply rising cost of living and crime in Sri Lanka. UNP leaders and supporters addressed a meeting around 11 a.m. Friday at Sri Kotha, the party's national headquarters, lambasting the People's Alliance regime for the failing, cash strapped economy, the rupee devaluation and rising crime. The crowds then marched to the busy Nugegoda junction, carrying placards and shouting slogans against the Sri Lankan government.

The UNP protest comes in the wake of a series of mass demonstrations in the heart of downtown Colombo by the radical Marxist Janata Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP). The Marxist group, now a formidable third force in Sri Lanka's politics, has threatened to launch an island wide general strike soon.

The protestors left the coffin at the junction and dispersed.

The Police came later and removed the coffin along with banners and placards left behind by the UNPers and public.