Sri Lanka's controversial pension bill repealing

Sri Lanka's government said Thursday that a decision has been made to abolish the controversial pensions fund bill for the private sector.

"The government has for the moment decided to abolish the pensions bill. But it reserves the right to present it in the future", Keheliya Ramvukwella, the minister of information and the government spokesman said.

The decision came after a protester died on Wednesday due to injuries sustained in the violent demonstration Monday against the bill at the export promotion zone at Katunayake, near the international airport.

Over 200 people including police were injured as police tear gassed protesters.

The police crackdown and the resultant public anger caused the arrest of two policemen and also forced the resignation of the police chief Mahinda Balasuriya.

The defense ministry said Balasuriya's resignation was "a historic display of public accountability."

Meanwhile the work in the export promotion zone resumed Thursday after two days of closure in the aftermath of the violent demonstration.

Trade unions claimed the attendance was below par as some of the workers had returned to their far away villages.

Some of the factories which suffered damage to the property were not able to resume their operations, trade unionists said.

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