Missing Telecom manpower protestor found again; supposed to have been blindfolded, abducted and frightened

Missing Telecom manpower protestor found again; supposed to have been blindfolded, abducted and frightened

About 25 years ago, during the Premadasa era trade union protests few and far in between. One of the foremost reasons was the process of the victim being frightened and threatened. If any union leader was to launch a strike, he was subsequently found missing the very next day. An incident of a similar nature was reported a couple or so days ago in Sri lanka. The Vice President of the All Island Lanka Telecom Manpower Union named M. Sujeewa Mangala

was found yesterday (01) in Ingiriya town after being missing for 3 days.

There was no information that could be found about Sujeewa who left home from Colombo on the dawn of Sunday on his motor bicycle saying that he would return home; therefore his wife happened to lodge a complaint to Piliyandala Police. Though he had informed that he was closing in upon home close to Pelenwatta home in Pannipitiya within about an hour's time, Sujeewa Mangala's disappearance cannot be just imagined, his wife said.

 After he was found, he had told Maharagama Police that his hands and legs were tied up and blindfolded and taken in av van for a period of 3 hours and was imprisoned in a lonely and isolated room. Sujeewa Mangala who gave a statement to police further said that he was threatened and told to leave his position as the Vice President of Telecom Manpower association and to discontinue the strike and subsequently he was brought last morning (01) to a road somewhere close to Ingiriya area in a van with hands and legs tied and also blindfolded, dumping him on the ground after bringing him in the van mentioned before.  

His motor cycle which had been left by the roadside in Piliyandala area was later recovered by the police. The said incident had taken place at the time when employees of Telecom Manpower who were involved in a strike demanding that the employees there be made permanent and had thus been engaging in a continuous strike for 1 month from last December 26th.

Investigations about the incident of Sujeewa Mangala disappearing to find out as to who was behind the operations have been handed over to Maharagama Police. Data recorded on CCTV cameras in and around Pelenwatta area from where he is understood to have been abducted is under scrutiny, it is reported. Maharagama Police have recorded statements of Sujeewa Mangala for over 1 hour and subsequently forwarded to the Judicial Medical Officer of the Kalubowila Teaching Hospital last afternoon. S.D. Perera the Secretary of the Association has quipped that the abduction of their colleague who has headed the leadership of the dispute which has been set in motion for a period close upon 6 weeks demanding the services of the manpower force be made permanent, as an act of sabotaging the protest.