Union leader seeks probe into forced quarantine during Gota’s rule

A senior Trade Union leader has demanded an investigation into the forced quarantine of over thirty persons whom he alleges were kidnapped and forced into self-quarantine while protesting against the militarizing of education.

Now, Joseph Stalin, General Secretary of the Ceylon Teachers Union, has sought an immediate inquiry into the incident that happened in the capital of Colombo. He has written to the Inspector General of Police seeking an investigation into it.

“What is to be said in particular in this regard is that the present IG of Police should immediately conduct an investigation into the incident when people were taken away and forced into self-quarantine. Why were they taken as such? Can people be taken away like this misusing power? At least the basic PHI examination too was not done on us either. Even the police did not examine us and none did any examination”.

All the respondents in the case relating to the detention of these people who were arrested when they protested calling for the withdrawal of the draft bill relating to the General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University in Colombo.

At the protest held on the 8th of July 2021, the protestors alleged the bill was aimed at militarizing education in the country.

Joseph Stalin who was also detained along with Buddhist Bhikkus and political activists and other Trade Union leaders during the protest, spoke to the media recalling how those detained were treated by the Gotabaya Rajapaksa regime.

"We and the activists were detained at an Air Force base after the protest was staged against the highhandedness during the COVID-19 pandemic under the military administration."

When the case was taken on the 6th of January, Manjula Rathnayake Colombo Additional Magistrate ordered the release of all 34 persons including Joseph Stalin. The case was filed against them for staging a protest in violation of the quarantine rules in 2021.

During the protest organized by the Inter-University Students’ Federation, Ceylon Teachers Union, and the Frontline Socialist Party against the General Sir John Kotelawala National Defence University Bill they were arrested under the provisions of the Quarantine and Prevention of Diseases Ordinance.

The protest was primarily aimed at preserving the right to free education and militarizing education in the country.

They were released on bail by the then Colombo Additional Magistrate Kanchana Niranjana D Siva.

Immediately the Welikada Police sought permission from the court to quarantine them. However, the Magistrate refused it saying the court has now power to order so.

Despite the refusal of the Magistrate to grant such permission and the strong opposition of the political activists and Trade Union representatives, the protestors were forcefully bundled into a bus and taken to the Harbour Police Station.

At the Police station, they were told to be ready for a “long-distance travel”.

Thereafter, all of them including Joseph Stalin were taken to the Mullaitivu Air Force Camp for forced isolation and quarantine.

After being forcefully lodged and quarantined in the SLAF camp in Mullaitivu, PCR samples were collected and sent for investigation on the 10th of July the results of which came as negative the same day.

Subsequently, the report that none of them had COVID-19-related infection was sent by the Government Forensic Science Analyst’s Department. Even after the report turned negative they were forcefully detained at the SLAF camp for over eight days before being forced to be released, that too after strong protests against their detention both locally and globally.