Woes of Weliweriya water war
By Aanya Wipulasena in Weliweriya-Sunday, August 04, 2013
High-handed army action claims at least six lives; journalists warned not to take pictures and attacked
Weliweriya, a small peaceful town barely an hour’s drive from Colombo, resembled a war-torn area yesterday.
Power of the people that soon turned to power of the police and Army. Pix by Mangala Weerasekera and Indika Handuwala
Traffic moved but heavily armed Army and Police personnel patrolled the streets. There were hardly any people moving around. Shops remained closed. Shattered glass from homes and shops remained strewn on the road. There were even shoes and slippers.
That told the story of a protest by some 6,000 residents on Thursday. They were demanding clean water. This was after complaints that a glove factory was pouring chemical effluents on the ground polluting their only source of water, their wells in the area. Instead, they were forced to face a barrage of bullets. The Army opened fire on them.
That told the story of a protest by some 6,000 residents on Thursday. They were demanding clean water. This was after complaints that a glove factory was pouring chemical effluents on the ground polluting their only source of water, their wells in the area. Instead, they were forced to face a barrage of bullets. The Army opened fire on them.
