The Lawyers Forum for the People has accused Sajith Premadasa of making false statements on his official Facebook page after the Opposition Leader falsely claimed lawyers affiliated with his party had helped to secure the release of consumer rights activist Asela Sampath who was abducted and subsequently “arrested” last week.
On June 26, Premadasa posted pictures with Asela Sampath and his family on Facebook, claiming that “SJB lawyers” had been on hand to assist the activist after his unlawful arrest.
In a letter to Premadasa dated June 30, the Lawyers Forum for the People denied the Opposition Leader’s claims.
The only lawyers present when Asela Sampath’s bail application was made were Senaka Perera, Manjula Pathiraja, Manju Sri Chandrasena, Nalaka Priyawansa and Lalith Pathirana, the Lawyers Forum for the People said. “None of these lawyers present in court that day are affiliated with the SJB,” the letter added.
“The fact that you posted on your official Facebook page claiming that SJB lawyers had represented Mr. Sampath has put lawyers from our group who were in court that day in serious difficulty,” the statement charged. “We urge you to correct this statement,” the Lawyers Forum for the People requested.
Canteen Owners Association President Asela Sampath was initially subjected to forcible removal from his home by several men in civil clothing but police eventually said he had been “arrested” by the CID even no warrant was presented at the time of the alleged arrest.
However the post remains unchanged on Premadasa’s official Facebook page.
Ajay / July 1, 2021
Sajith Premadasa is a showman without anything to show.
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Raj-UK / July 1, 2021
A decadent country in an exponential dive in terms of economy, justice & living standards but the opposition is unable to hold the govt. to account. In UK, the leader of the opposition is able to confront the PM during ‘question time’ allocated for this purpose in Parliament, as does the ‘shadow cabinet’ of the opposition, which ‘shadows’ the activities of govt. Ministers, holding them accountable. Despite Premadasa jnr.’s British education & academic achievements, he seems unaware how developed countries, particularly the opposition, function in Parliament. AKD may expose govt. corruption but no action is taken in support by the opposition, & at the end of the day, all parliamentarians go home in their luxury SUVs, surrounded by their bodyguards & the President is able to go his merry way, unhindered. The country is facing economic catastrophe, possibly a future famine, an environmental disaster is in the making & a rampant pandemic, not to mention the lawlessness & escalating violence but the opposition can only claim (falsely it seems) of securing the release of a single activist.
The opportunity to expose & educate the masses of the true situation, with solutions & a strategy to turnaround the country is not being exploited. The opposition, under Premadasa jnr. is ineffective & has failed to live up to expectations
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srikrish / July 2, 2021
This is one of the serious problems in teamwork.
Someone does all the work and somebody else claims all the credit.
Thus compromising maximizing effectiveness of teamwork and discourages commitment from all to the utmost.
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Simon / July 1, 2021
This Sajith Premadasa is the “leader of the Opposition”. How disgraceful to seek cheap popularity making use of an incident that must be condemned in total by the whole of the country. Even if the “Lawyers” had affiliations with SJB, he (Sajith) must refrain from mentioning it and present the incident as a “Threat” to the whole of the society. That must be his duty as the Leader of the Opposition. No doubt, he is NO Leader and he will continue to be that.
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Sinhala_Man / July 2, 2021
Imagine a country that Nature has blessed so abundantly getting coverage of this sort!
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https://www.gulftoday.ae/opinion/2021/06/30/sri-lanka-teeters-on-the-brink-of-anarchy
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Don’t tell me that these are the enemies of our country. What is adumbrated there are objective facts that we know are true.
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SJ / July 1, 2021
Wonder what his Godfather will say.
And of course DJ.
The local fan club must be stunned by the story.
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