PROTEST MARCH-1992 was led by MR as an active HR-DEFENDER! IT was against Abduction,Torture& Killing of 60000 Sinhala Youth BY PREMADASA(UNP) REGIME!

Lanka News Web.COM

President gets angry when reminded about the Pada Yatra(WALK/Procession) .

Monday, 19 March 2012 18:34 NewsEditor Hits: 798 .


The President has shouted at several state media heads who have suggested that an event be organized to mark the 20th anniversary since the holding of a pada yatra against the government by him during the tenure of President R. Premadasa on March 16, 1992.

“Are you people mad to remind me of that at this time? The NGO fellows who are in Geneva would use it and make statements about what I said at the time. Don’t even remind about this to our fellows. You people don’t have what is called a common sense,” the President has shouted at the media heads.

The pada yatra organized in 1992 was led by Mahinda Rajapaksa who was an active opposition politician at the time. The protest march was against the abduction, torture and killing of over 60,000 young men and women in the South by the Premadasa regime and the complete breakdown of law and order.

The pada yatra commenced from the Viharamahadevi Park on March 16th and reached Kataragama on April 1st following a march on foot through Katura, Ambalangoda, Galle, Matara, Tangalle and Hambantota.

Since the march ended on April Fool’s Day, the final religious rituals and dashing of coconuts against the Premadasa regime was held on April 2nd. The campaign was a great strength at the time to the opposition politicians.

The parents’ association against the controversial killing of the Embilipitiya students, the mothers’ front, Vasudeva Nanayakkara’s front for missing people and other associations participated in the protest campaign. The pada yatra gave a great strength to topple the 17 year UNP regime and to ensure the victory of the SLFP led People’s Alliance in 1994.

It is ironical to see the organizer of the pada yatra holding the office of the President and trying to cast aside the event 20 years later.

The reason to cover up the pada yatra is the fact that the slogans used 20 years ago are once again being used in the country.


editor@lankanewsweb.com