Tourism Minister Prasanna Ranatunga says that it has been revealed that the extremists who were involved with the United National Party and the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) have taken the riot broke out in the Mirihana area last night into their own hands shortly after peace activists arrived and taken it to a violent situation.
He made these revelations while participating in a ‘Aththa’ media briefing held by the Presidential Media Unit.
The Minister said that the President had thought that peaceful protesters would come and carry out the protest and had therefore instructed the police and the army not to interfere in anything.
However, it has been revealed that extremists led by politicians had come to the last part of the protest and caused damage to property and brought this to a standstill, the Minister said.