Parliament adjourned following tense situation
May 3, 2016 01:41 pm
Speaker Karu Jayasuriya adjourned Parliament until tomorrow and called for a report from the Deputy Speaker and the Deputy Chairman of Committees in connection with the tense situation which had occurred at the Parliament on Tuesday.
He also informed Parliament that suitable action would be instigated against the MPs involved in the incident.
Parliament proceedings were initially suspended for five minutes due to the tense situation within the chambers which ended in fisticuffs between two groups of MPs.
Afterwards the Speaker adjourned Parliament till tomorrow (4) citing the inability to continue with proceedings amidst such incidents.
Cabinet Minister for Regional Development Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka was delivering a statement regarding the decision to replace the military security of the former President with police personnel when certain opposition MPs raised objections and a brawl ensued.
UNP Kegalle District MP Sandith Samarasinghe has been hospitalised following the incident. It has been reported that he was injured as a result of the altercation between government and opposition MPs.
Some 50 army personnel assigned for the security detail of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa were withdrawn yesterday. They were replaced by trained police personnel form the VIP security unit.
