(LANKAPUVATH | COLOMBO) – President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who emphasizes that the rule of law cannot be protected without the police and an independent judiciary, emphasized that the two institutions should be protected and moved forward.
The President also pointed out that the country’s democracy and the rule of law must be established in order to succeed in the economic recovery of the country.
President Ranil Wickramasinghe said this while addressing the ceremony held at the Bambalapitiya Police Field Force Headquarters this afternoon (03) on the occasion of 156th Police Day.
The 156th anniversary of the Sri Lanka Police was held yesterday (03) at the Police Field Force Headquarters under the patronage of the President.
At the occasion, the President also presented the President’s Police Medal for Late Officer Jayantha Gunawardena, who died while on duty, and symbolically presented certificates of appreciation to 30 police officers who were on parliamentary security duty.
The police website and “E News” newspaper were also launched and a check of 100 million rupees from the Police Reward Fund was presented to the newly established “Legal Relief Fund” by IGP C.D. Wickramaratne presented to the President.
Speaking at the occasion, President Wickremesinghe further said that in order to protect the democracy of a country, the constitution should be protected.
“If the protesters had captured the Parliament on that day, the country’s democracy would have ended and the rule of law would have been violated,” the President said referring to the anti-government protesters’ attempt to take over the parliament on July 13.
Mr. Wickramasinghe pointing out that the police protected the rule of law and the Constitution at that time said he would take this opportunity to pay tribute to the entire police department.
“No matter how much the media accused the police and said that the police had attacked their photographers, I have witnessed the friendship between the two groups in this celebration,” the President said.
Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, Minister of Public Security Tiran Alles, Chief of Presidential Staff and Senior Advisor to the President on National Security Sagala Ratnayake, Secretary of the Ministry of Public Security S. Hettiarachchi were present at the occasion.
Officials of the International Police representing many countries and senior officers of the Sri Lanka Police Department were also present on this occasion.
