Chairs and chili fly as Sri Lankan MPs brawl

Chairs and chili fly as Sri Lankan MPs brawl

MP Johnston Fernando throws a chair at police called in to protect parliament speaker Karu Jayasuriya during a stormy session on Friday in Colombo. (Reuters Photo)
MP Johnston Fernando throws a chair at police called in to protect parliament speaker Karu Jayasuriya during a stormy session on Friday in Colombo. (Reuters Photo)

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s political crisis escalated Friday with police having to escort the speaker into parliament and MPs throwing chairs and chili powder at rivals.

The country has been paralysed since Oct 26 when President Maithripala Sirisenasacked Ranil Wickremesinghe as premier and replaced him with former strongman Mahinda Rajapakse.

On Friday speaker Karu Jayasuriya was blocked from taking his chair for almost an hour by a group of legislators backing Rajapakse. Finally, Jayasuriya entered the red-carpeted chamber protected by dozens of unarmed officers and parliamentary staff.

Rioting MPs took away the ceremonial chair, but staff carried in an ordinary office chair as a makeshift replacement.

However, rioters grabbed that chair too, breaking it into pieces that were then used as projectiles to attack rivals and police.

A former parliament staffer said Friday’s scenes were unprecedented.

“We haven’t had a situation where the speaker was prevented from entering the chamber,” former sergeant-at-arms Wijaya Palliyaguruge told AFP. “This is also the first time that the speaker had to come in with police protection.”

The British High Commissioner James Dauris echoed international concern over violence in Sri Lanka’s parliament, a legacy from British colonial rule that ended in 1948.

“Sri Lankans have again seen deplorable behaviour by some MPs, unbecoming of them and of their noble institution,” Dauris said on Twitter. “No parliament can perform its role when its own members stop it from doing so.”

Standing in a corner with a human shield of khaki-clad constables, the speaker, in his usual black and gold robes, used a wireless microphone to take a voice vote on a revised no-confidence motion against Rajapakse.

Rajapakse lost a similar vote on Wednesday, but refused to step down saying that vote was not taken properly. His party had acknowledged that they did not command a majority in the 225-member assembly despite attempts to engineer defections.

President Sirisena, who has the power to appoint a new prime minister, told political parties representing a majority of legislators on Thursday night to submit an amended motion to confirm the toppling of Rajapakse.

On Thursday MPs moved another resolution against Rajapakse, this time to reject his call for snap elections. That vote could not go ahead after parliament descended into chaos, as punches and projectiles flew.

Rajapakse himself stayed away from the rioting and walked out of the chamber after the no-trust motion was passed against him.

A Rajapakse loyalist was seen throwing chili powder at rival legislators and police. Several constables and legislators were taken to the parliament’s medical centre for first aid.

Gamini Jayawickrema Perera, a legislator from Wickremesinghe’s party, said he was among those treated after chili mixed with water was thrown at his face.

Leftist lawmaker Vijitha Herath said he suffered a forehead injury when a rival hit him with a hard-cover copy of the constitution that was on the speaker’s table.

“I was also attacked with chili water,” Herath said. “Usually, chili powder or water is the favourite weapon of bank robbers and gangsters.”

Another legislator Anura Kumara Dissanayake said he saw a Rajapakse supporter assaulting a parliament employee who had been guarding the speaker’s chamber.

“It was disgusting to see the behaviour of these MPs,” Dissanayake said. “They were going to great lengths to prevent today’s vote, but they did not succeed.”

Rajapakse’s spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella denied they attacked police or staff, but blamed the speaker for the chaos.

“He (the speaker) need not have rushed the vote,” Rambukwella said after sittings were adjourned until Monday.

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