The BBC has reported how, after a successful visit to Britain, during which he told the truth about the Sri Lankan government’s genocide against the Tamil people, supporters of  Vickramabahu “Bahu” Karunaratne and some journalists were attacked at the Colombo airport by a mob while the police were looking on. His vehicle was heavilly damaged and several comrades received minor injuries. Bahu, who is General Secretary of the Nava Sama Samaja Party (NSSP – the Fourth International in Sri Lanka), will speak to a media briefing in Colombo tomorrow.

PRESS STATEMENT FROM NSSP

The General Secretary of the Nava Sama Samaja Party has been attacked at the airport by Aviation authority officials while the police were looking on.

MTV Katunayaka correspondant Prema Lal and Lanka enews journalist Shantha Wijesuriya who went to cover Dr. Vickramabahu Karunaratna’s arrival have also been assaulted.

A group of officials who were in uniform and on duty mobbed Dr. Vickramabahu Karunaratne when he stepped out of the airport to be welcomed by NSSP officials, party members, trade union leaders, lawyers and human rights activists. Dozens of aviation officials who surrounded him called him a ‘traitor who wants to divide the country united by Mr. Mahinda,’ and attacked. several well wishers including females who came to his rescue were injured.

The port and aviation authority comes under President Rajapaksa. Before that the president’s Brother Chamal Rajapaksa was the minister in charge. It is a well known that government ministers employ their political supporters for positions in their ministry.

Dr. Vickramabahu Karunaratna was returning to Sri Lanka after a visit to the UK on a personal invitation. He was in the UK to attend the 88th birthday celebrations of his dean at Cambridge Professor Reg Goodwin. He was invited and his passage was paid for by the son of Prof. Goodwin, Mark.

While in London Bahu was invited to address several public meetings the Tamil remembrance day 2010 held at the Excel auditorium attended by tens of thousands in addition to a meeting at the House of Commons. The following week President Rajapaksa who arrived in the UK had to abandon a scheduled talk at the Oxford Union due to protests by Tamils who accused him of war crimes.

The government of Sri Lanka has accused Dr. Karunaratne and opposition parliamentarian Dr. Jayalath Jayawardena of organising the protests in London in collusion with Tamil Tiger supporters.