Kandy Human Rights office sealed, cab taken away

The Kandy district office of the Human Rights Commission was sealed and the official cab allocated to it had been taken  to the main office by a group of persons including the Secretary of

the Human Rights Commission on May 30.

This crisis has arisen due to the fact that the chairperson of the Commission is of one opinion and the commissioners are of another opinion regarding the position of District Coordinating Officer

of the Kandy Human Rights Office.

Kumuduni Vithanage has been working as the District Co-ordination Officer of the Kandy Human Rights Office for about eight years. She has been transferred to the head office in Colombo and Viranjan Dias Sumanasekara has been appointed to that position by the Chairperson of the Human Rights Commission. Professor Vijith Nanayakkara, Commissioner of the Human Rights Commission, says that this appointment is against the Human Rights Commission Act, so it is not valid. Although Viranjan Dias Sumanasekara had come to assume duties at the Kandy office based on the new appointment made by the chairperson, Kumuduni Vithanage did not accept the transfer and had remained in the office, creating a conflict.

In the meantime, the secretary of the Commission had sent a letter informing her that Kumuduni Vithanage’s salary had been suspended considering that she had left the service due to not accepting the transfer and reporting to the Colombo office.

Kumuduni Vithanage had reported the facts to the Court of Appeal against this and while she was still in her position, a group including the Secretary of the Human Rights Commission had arrived at the Kandy office day before yesterday (30). Due to unease that was created during a discussion there, the secretary of the Commission and the others had left and gone to the Kandy police to report the incident.

Then they had come to the office at night with a police team, sealed the office and taken away the cab.