Mayors can’t raise police units – Govt.

By Saman Indrajith

Chief Governm-ent Whip Minister Johnston Fernando yesterday told Parliament that the government would not allow any Mayor to set up special units to do police work.

Responding to queries by Opposition MPs over the arrest of the Jaffna Mayor, Minister Fernando said the government would take legal action against him.

Tamil National People’s Front MP, Gajendra Kumar Ponnambalam said it was absurd to arrest the Jaffna Mayor, accusing him of attempting to revive the LTTE.

“I am not a fan of the Jaffna Mayor. However, this is a deliberate attempt by the government to mislead the people into thinking that the Mayor was trying to resurrect the police force of the LTTE. It is preposterous. Municipal Councils, including the Colombo Municipal Council, have created various sections for different purposes such as issuing parking tickets,” he said.

TNA MPs Charles Nirmalanathan and Shanakiyan Rasamanickam also condemned the government for the arrest of the Jaffna Mayor.