Yesterday, 20th October the Multiday Boat Owners had gone to Ministry of Fisheries for a dialogue to find a solution for EU ban on Fish and fishery products export from SL.
Most of the boat owners are mostly with the minister and the ministry when the fisheries issues related to small scale fishers are concern.
However, when the boat owners were at the ministry the treatment was not so helpful from the ministry.
There was an attack to the people throwing stones. There were 4 people injured seriously and hospitalized.
Although those people whom went to the ministry were the organized boat owners group, the MOF accused them as NGOs and opposition party supporters to undermine the seriousness of the attack.
However, Sarath Gunaratne the deputy fisheries minister has appologized from the victims of the brutal attack.
This is the democratic space we have in our society today in which we need to widen it for any kind of civil action.
I am not sure what is the Sri Lankan society's response to this type of crimes. But one thing is clear yesterday it was small scale fishers, FTZ workers, people demanded for drinking water sacrificed their lives. Today it is boat owners.
We do not know who will be the next in their target. But, unless we work to change this situation, we can say what Fr. Neemolar of Germany said at Nazi regime.
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