Traders decide against participating in hartal

COLOMBO: Members of several organisations of traders, particularly from the Tamil community, will not participate in the hartal planned for today (19), to protest the increasing incidence of abductions, disappearances and extra-judicial killings in Colombo and its suburbs in recent weeks.

This decision was arrived at a meeting that leaders of these organisations had yesterday (Monday 18) at the Presidential Secretariat, chaired by the Acting Secretary to the President, Gamini Senarath, a news release from the President's Office said.

It had earlier been decided to carry out a hartal and close all trading establishments in Pettah and adjacent areas today as a protest at the recent increase in abductions, disappearances and killings, particularly of traders and persons of the Tamil community. However, these traders decided against participating in such a hartal in view of the steps already taken by the government to allay their fears, and curb these illegal activities.

These include the appointment by President Rajapaksa of retired High Court Judge, Mahanama Tillekeratne, to probe all recent incidents of abductions, disappearances and extra-judicial killings; and the decision by the government as directed by the President to set up a special police unit to probe all complaints relating to such offences and take speedy action to apprehend those responsible and bring them to justice.

At the meeting held at the Presidential Secretariat the representatives of these traders expressed their appreciation, irrespective of political differences, of the action taken by President Rajapaksa to ensure public security.

They expressed confidence that the President, who had held discussions regarding problems faced by traders with both large traders as well as pavement hawkers, would take the proper action regarding the current problems and threats to security faced by them.

The representatives of traders looked forward to speedy and effective work being done by the special police unit on abductions and related offences, and assured the government of their support to strengthen the country's economy, and of their fullest cooperation to the President to fearlessly face the obstacles before him.

Among the representative organisations of traders that participated in the discussions with the Acting Secretary to the President were the Sea Street Jewellers' Association, Pettah Wholesale Traders' Association, Pettah Textile Traders' Association, Old Moor Street Traders' Association, 4th & 5th Cross Street Traders' Association and the Hardware Merchants Association.