Sri Lanka police arrested a 31-year-old motorist this morning alleged to have instigated a honking protest at the Borella junction on April 27 when visiting Chinese defence minister General Wei Fenghe’s motorcade was passing through.
Widely circulated video footage showed seemingly frustrated motorists honking incessantly as they were forced to wait for the motorcade to pass.
Police spokesman DIG Ajith Rohana said the individual charged with organising the protest had posted a video online where he is heard to be encouraging fellow motorists to honk and express their displeasure over the temporary road closure.
Rohana said in a statement the suspect is a resident in Battaramulla who had been in Australia for 10 years.
The police spokesman further said that, according to the Vienna Convention, a host country is responsible for providing security and other facilities required for a visiting foreign dignitary.
The road was closed that night since Sri Lankan government has a responsibility to provide security to the defence minister of a powerful country like China, he said.
The suspect will be producedin the Colombo Magistrate Court today and Borella police will conduct further investigations, he added.