COLOMBO: The Sri Lankan police had taken a court order to prevent ultra nationalists led by Buddhist monks from holding a demonstration in front of the UN office here on Thursday against the visit of the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
The media quoted a police officer saying that a court order was obtained to prevent breach of peace when the dignitary visited the UN office to meet the staff.
“We did that because we feared that any protest could lead to unrest,” he said, requesting anonymity.
Ban’s convoy arrived at the compound shortly after the protesters had been peacefully dispersed.
“UN, where were you?” said one placard, which carried a photograph of a victim of a bombing blamed on Tamil Tiger rebels who were crushed by security forces in May 2009.
The protesting ultra-nationalists led by Ven.Akmeemana Devaratne and Ve, Sadatissa Thera, accused the UN of siding with Tamil rebels. .
“The UN was silent when Tiger terrorists were bombing and massacring our people,” Ven. kmeemana Dayaratne said as protesters handed over a petition to the UN office to be given to Ban.
“Now the UN is asking for investigations to punish us for defeating terrorism,” he said, referring to the UN’s call for the island to probe war crimes committed during the conflict.
The UN Secretary General held talks with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on Wednesday after arriving from Myanmar, and met President Maithripala Sirisena in the evening of Thursday
He is also due to deliver a public lecture on peace and development and travel to the war-battered northern Tamil heartland of Jaffna, before leaving tomorrow.