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The communal fires that were ignited in Aluthgama over the last week, is what is despicable about the island nation. It is what drove this country towards three decades of bloodshed and economic loss. It saw the fine fabric of society broken to unrecognizable shreds that no one dare desire a return to.

Yet the incidents in the sea side town and its environs have the potential to push the country to that bitter history of brutality. If we are to be blinded by the victory of defeat, then there are still lessons from the region that can provide evidence of what must be prevented.

Accordingto former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, the trauma started in 1979 with the invasion of Afghanistan by the Soviet Union. ‘The West, led by the ‘United States after the election of Ronald Reagan, considered Afghanistan an important arena in which to check the Soviets’ ambitions. A jihad was launched in Afghanistan, with Pakistan as the inevitable conduit and frontline supporter because of its contiguity to Afghanistan. Afghan warlords and their militias were armed and financed to fight the Soviets. Alongside 20,000 to 30,000 mujahideen from all over the Islamic world, students from some seminaries of Pakistan were encouraged, armed, financed, and trained to reinforce the Afghans and confront the Soviet war machine. Before 1979, our Madrassas were quite and their actives were insignificant.
‘The Afghan war brought them into the forefront.’
The entire decade of the 1980s saw religious extremism rise. It is undeniable that the hard-line mullahs of the Frontier province were the obvious religious partners in this jihad, because the Afghan Pukhtoons adhere to their puritanical interpretation of Islam.
‘This jihad continued for ten years, until the Soviets were defeated in 1989. They withdrew in a hurry, leaving behind an enormous arsenal of heavy weapons that included tanks, guns, and even aircraft, with abundant stocks of ammunition. The United States and Europe were also quick to abandon the area, as the Berlin Wall fell and the Soviet threat dimmed. The sudden vacuum in Afghanistan led fist to the toppling of the puppet government that had been installed by the Soviet Union, and then to mayhem and bloodletting among the warlords, jostling for power. Afghanistan was ravaged by a twelve-year internal conflict, from 1989 to 2001.’
The irony of where the terror fed by the US finally drew them apart; such is the recorded history of religious extremism, wherever they gain life.
Dealing with extremism requires prudence. It involves addressing religious and sectarian extremism. It is a battle for both hearts and minds. Mind-sets cannot be changed by force. They must be transformed through superior logic and action. We have to facilitate this transformation. It involves mobilising the silent moderate majority to rise and play a positive role. Society cannot afford to shirk its responsibility of the tragedy of Aluthgama. As a people, as a State and as a media that reported, discussed and pontificated over the growing threat of violence that the Bodu Bala Sena was ultimately proven capable of, many more than we wish to admit to are responsible for it.
The threat was clear from the beginning. The tone with which its General Secretary Galagoda Aththe Gnasara addressed a growing number of the gullible, willing to lend an ear, should have proven a warning to the authorities. Responsibility lay with every law enforcement officer who watched as the BBS rally’s gathered strength, espoused terror and carried out its warnings, with no action. The arrests that refused to be made and the actions that refused implementation as the threat grew unchallenged, are all equally at fault.
History points to the negative effects of war victories. It is difficult to contain the sense of power one community can project over the defeated, in battles dealt between ethnicities. That the Sinhalese community that had its ego tested and broken as the LTTE unleashed its terror over the majority community is a fact. Therefore although the literate majority rejoiced at the end of an era of violence as the LTTE was defeated, the petty and illiterate believed it a victory over the minority communities.
It is in the vacuum of an intelligent discourse at this crucial point that the fanaticism of Sinhala Buddhism of the BBS gained strength. The country’s plans of reconstruction and resettlement should have necessarily included room for communal harmony. The country should have had a plan of action to strengthen and mobilize the moderates to overcome the ignorant. This should have been the path on which the transformation from war to peace was allowed to tread. Instead politics played its petty role, prying silently on the electoral strength leaving little for the tolerant.
A crucial area of investigation must be the funding agents behind the BBS. The planning and the organisational skills of the organisation point the finger at a heavy and consistent funding arm. Questions have earlier been raised at reported funding made available to the group by Norway. It was reported last year that the Group had initially received funding from the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Colombo coupled with the reported visit of the Norwegian Ambassador Ms. Grete Løchen and Mr. Arne Fjortoft to the office of the Bodu Bala Sena, in Colombo. A  visit made by five monks attached to the Group to Norway in 2010 led to serious questions on Norwegian funding behind the BBS.  Its Excutive Committee Member Dilantha Withanage admitted that he in fact also took part in the visit, and that the BBS was formed two years following the visit, in May 2012.
Those who made that visit to Norway included Ven. Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thero, Ven. Witharandeniye Nanda Thero (national organiser of Bodu Bala Sena), Ven. Aluthwewa Ananda Thero, Ven. Dapane Sumanawansa Thero, Ven. Welimada Shantha Thero, Mr. Pujitha Wijesinghe and Mr. Mark Antony Perera.
“In fact we were invited by one of the organisation in Norway. In fact I have forgotten the name of the organisation. Actually we visited Norway and had discussion with some of the Tamil friends there. I don’t know whether friends we met in Norway represented actually the section of the vociferous Tamil diaspora? Some of them we met, I learnt were supporters of the LTTE. You can say they are just a very small section of the Tamil diaspora. Then we visited some social organisations including a couple of Elders Home and we visited the Norwegian Parliament. We had meeting also with former Minister Erick Solheim. We also had meetings with some Norwegian Parliamentarians. Also we visited houses of some of the Tamil friends,” admitted Withanage.
A US visit by the group in April 2013 where the delegation received visas ‘over the counter’ without the usual hassle involved with visits to the country, especially given the reputation the BBS has gained by then, also raised controversy. The delegation which included Withanage, and several monks including Ven. Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thera and National Organiser Ven. Vitharandeniye Nanda Thera, was recorded as a measure of the organisation going ‘international.
‘Bodu Bala Sena is all set to go international,’ Withanage was quoted.
“There is a high demand from abroad for our organisation. It has become essential to extend our organisation and our contribution internationally so as to raise awareness among the international community about our mission,” he said.
It is today too late to drive the teachings of the Dhamma out of the misinterpretation. Instead there must now be legal action against those who believed and acted themselves above the laws of the country. It is an undeniable fact that the country’s Penal Code stands violated by the actions of the BBS. They stand guilty of inciting religious and communal hatred. The group and its religious fanaticism must be stopped. If such an end lay in a legal ban on the organization, then that is where the solution obviously must be. It is imperative that the administration undo this wrong, and fast.
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Provocative actions by extremist Buddhist elements
*November 30 2012: The BBS held its first meeting at Navinna Rajamahaviharaya*
*December 9, 2012: The Rev. Omalpe Thero and several others attacked the church of Pastor Pradeep Kumara during a prayer session and damaged vehicles, equipment, furniture, and vandalized astatue of Jesus Christ in Weeraketiya. The previous day had visited and demanded that the centre be shut down.
*January 19, 2013:
Mob protests in front of No Limit, Maharagama, by an unknown group demanding that the shop be closed.
*January 24, 2013:
Rally against halal certification in Kuliyapitiya. Protesters carried and burned effigies of the Prophet, and offensive placards.
*February 11, 2013: Muslim shopowners in Kurunegala were issued death threats, that if they did not close their shops by the 31st of March they would be killed.
*February 16, 2013: Journalists Threatened, Halal Ban Deadline.
BBC correspondent Charles Haviland, and a Reporter from Nawamani were threatened and not allowed to leave after covering the BBS rally.
*March 2, 2013: an Abattoir in Dematagoda was raided by the BBS claiming that it was set up illegally. However it was revealed that the CMC owned it and all documentation were in order.
*March 15, 2013: Members of the Sinhala Ravaya group stormed a house in Nawala claiming to have received reports of children being sold on the premises.
*March 12-March 16: Following the anti abaya comments made by Rev. Galaboda Aththe Gnanassara thero of the  BBS, several incidents were reported where women wearing the abaya and hijab were harassed in the Dehiwala, Dickwella, Fort, Borella, Manampitiya, Tihariya, and Kotahena areas.
*March 17, 2013 The  BBS Gen. Secretary urged  the Sinhalese to rise against the  Muslims.
*March 18, 2013: Members of the Sinhala Ravaya once again attacked Pastor Pradeep in Weeraketiya, damaged property and even threatened to kill him. They had also abused the pastor’s wife and children in foul language.
*March 24: BBS Secretary Galaboda Aththe Gnanassara Thero declared ‘war’ on Ferial Ashraff and demanded her recall from her mission inSingapore citing her as an  anti Sinhala Buddhist.
*March 27-28, 2013: SMS messages were sent to journalists asking them to boycott Muslim shops during Avurudu period claiming to be from the BBS.
*March 28, 2013: Monks and mobs raided Emerald Trading in Pepiliyana.
*March 28, 2013: The Pepiliyana Fashion Bug store was attacked.
*March 29, 2013: In Elpitiya following a BBS rally on March 29, Muslim shop owners were asked to vacate their lease.
*March 31 2013: Letters were Sent to the Tawhid Dematagoda mosque, and Islamic bookshop nearby on a BBS  letterhead, demanding that they close down the mosque.
The BBS was also cited in the assault of Watareka Wijitha Thero last year and also the attack on Sirikotha.

http://www.thesundayleader.lk/2014/06/22/bbs-and-its-religious-fanaticism/

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By Megara Tegal in Aluthgama and Beruwala

Pictures by Asoka Fernando and Lalith Perera

Last week the entire country was shaken following an outburst of riots, shootings, and long hours of police imposed curfews in the Kalutara district, and hartals across the island. Muslim shop owners in the East, Central and Western provinces closed their shops on Thursday as a show of passive protest against attacks on the Muslims in Dargha Town and Beruwela. The total number of victims is said to be close to 10,000 – of both Muslim and Sinhalese; all of whom have lost their homes and livelihoods, and are temporarily sheltered in mosques and schools in the area.

Post-riots

Yesterday, at around 2am, Muslim owned clothing store in Panadura, No Limit, burned to the ground. While suspicion is rife that it was a malicious act, police spokesman SSP Ajith Rohana explained that the police were yet to determine if it was an arson attack or an accident caused by a short-circuit. Acts of violence continued into the latter part of the week as Watareka Vijitha Thera of Mahiyangana, who has been a vocal critic of the hardline Buddhist monks known as the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) was kidnapped, disrobed and assaulted. BBS was the organisation largely believed to have provoked the riots in Dargha Town. The BBS has distanced itself from the abhorrent act, stating that they were not involved. However Watareka Vijitha Thera has been threatened and attacked on previous occasions after having spoken against the BBS for spreading hate and inciting communal disharmony. Following the latest attack on Wednesday (18), police say that investigations are underway to arrest the perpetrators.

The ‘No Limit’ store after the fire

In the meantime, Muslim shop owners in the Eastern town of Kathankudy, Kandy in the Central Province, and Western province areas of Slave Island, Pettah and Maligawatte, closed their shops in silent protest against the violence directed against the Muslims, inaction by the government to prevent it, and the continued suffering of the Muslim IDPs in the Kalutara district. Pettah is a focal area of trade and business in Sri Lanka and a hartal has the potential to put a dent in the economy.

Displaced and neglected

While hartals and protests against the BBS are held in Colombo, 59km away in the coastal town of Beruwela, mosques and schools are teeming with internally displaced persons (IDPs). The initial attack took place on Sunday in Althugama close to Beruwela and lasted up to 7 hours. A fresh assault broke out not too far from Dargha Town, in Wellipenna on Monday, adding to the total number of casualties. The Sunday Leader visited the Al Humaisara National School in China Fort, Beruwela that currently shelters 999 victims. There are a total of 486 men and 513 women currently within the security of the school. 56 of them are breastfeeding mothers, 17 are pregnant, 154 are mothers with children who need milk powder, and 27 constitute the elderly—over 60 years. While 50 of the IDPs are injured and require medical care.

A van attacked during the violence and Property damaged in Aluthgama

Caged up in the school, the IDPs—following the harrowing experience—are afraid to venture out of the safety of its high parapet walls. When an almost 24 hour curfew was imposed in the area by the police, the 999 IDPs had no access to food and other immediate needs. The next day they received two sacks of rice that was barely enough to feed all the inmates. In the days that followed the curfew was lifted for a few hours in order to give relief to the IDPs, food supplies, medicines and other essentials trickled in. However, a week after the incident the IDPs remain traumatised, grief-stricken, and enraged.

“We are not racists. We respect all religions. There is a temple close to this village and we used to visit the monk for Ayurvedic treatments. We maintained a very good relationship with everybody”, said Safwa on how life was before she and her family were attacked at their home.

“The Muslim politicians who visited this area did not quite understand our fear. When they visit the area they come with a STF squad. They may be able to freely go about the town because of the security they have but we are still terrified to go anywhere”.

She further said “We had no clue as to what was happening. A mob came breaking and burning shops and houses. We informed the police but they arrived late. The delay gave them enough time to assault us and to destroy our property. The police who arrived also looked around the location and told us that they could  do nothing and said if the mob came back to attack them or run. The police did not give us any protection. One of my friends got injured during the attack and later we took him to the Nagoda General hospital but the staff did not welcome us. He was admitted to the hospital but they did not treat him, and so he got himself discharged”, he added expressing his loss in faith in law enforcement in Sri Lanka. The law enforcement have failed to stop the riots and protect the IDPs, has left them with little reassurance of their safety outside of the Al Humaisara National School.

The Sunday Leader went on to visit a second IDP shelter—a mosque in Muttugama ,  where women and children are living in the  first floor of the mosque. Many of them had fled their homes with only the clothes they were wearing and have no change of clothing as their homes were torched during the riots. On the few mats that are laid on the floor, infants and children sleep unaware of how uncertain their future has become over night.

An elderly lady Kareema, was overcome with emotion when she related her plight. With tears streaming down her cheeks, she explained that her late husband was the vice principal. After he passed away she and her now 22 year old daughter survived on his meager pension. Their home has been reduced to ashes; she is at a loss as to how she can rebuild her home or to find a place for her daughter and herself to live once they have to leave the shelter of the mosque.

Great loss

A few victims continue to stay at their homes even though it has been damaged considerably. Rishdi, a father of two young girls and a business man, gestured to his smashed windows, broken doors and damaged ceiling, saying that a great deal of damage has been done and since his livelihood has been destroyed he cannot afford to set about repairing his property.

“I had two vehicles, one was parked outside my house and the other in the house opposite ours—which is my sister’s place. Both vehicles were completely burned. My business is to rent out the two vans for tours. Tourists hire the vans usually for full day trips to Yala and back. The van that was parked in front of my house was still on lease, I have yet to pay 50 installments for it. I have called the insurance company but they said they are scared to come to this area right now, so I still don’t know if the insurance company will compensate me. He goes on to say that apart from renting out his vans, he owned a shop that was looted and burnt to the ground.

“Curfew was imposed and we could not leave our houses. The mob roamed freely and when they set my vehicles on fire the police merely looked on. At times the policemen would grab some of them but they would just toss them back into the mob” he said. Rishdi estimates his losses to be around 70 to 80 laks. “As I watched my van burn and my home being stoned, I felt completely lost. At that moment I just wanted to run into the crowd and sacrifice myself to the mob. But the police wouldn’t let us out”. He added that he is not in a right frame of mind at the moment.

In Aluthgama

The Sunday Leader next visited Althugama, where the BBS held their rally on Sunday (15) following a dispute between a Sinhalese three wheeler driver and some Muslims. Two young men in the area, one with dreadlocks up to his hips and another with tinted short hair, said that they work in Hikkaduwa and they were at the BBS rally and BBS had attempted to placate the people in Aluthgama who were enraged by the rumours that a monk has been assaulted by four Muslims. However, their statement is contradictory to video footage of the vitriolic, provocative speech by Galdoga Gnanasara Thero at the rally, which has been aired on TV and shares aggressively on social media sites.

Over the past few days Navi Pillay, UN high commissioner for Human Rights, Human Rights Watch, several foreign embassies, and local organisations such as Women and Media Collective, have condemned the acts of violence and urged the government to carry out an investigation. Concerned citizens have held protests in Colombo, and petitions have been circulated to ban the BBS.

Back in the southern coastal area, anger and hate sentiments soar in Sinhalese towns surrounding Dargha Town. Similarly, the Muslims remain inflamed with indignation, and a volatile situation prevails. Swift action by the government is crucial at this time to ensure that this anger does not erupt into more riots, and what many fear could lead to a second ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka.

Dehiwala pharmacy attack

By Binoy Suriyaarachchi

The police investigating teams, have not got any clues leading to the identification of the individuals who attacked Harcourts pharmacy in Dehiwala on May 15. The attack was carried out few hours after the tense situation had erupted in Dharga town.

A mob consisting of six people with their faces covered with white coloured masks wearing full-face helmets attacked the pharmacy with poles, swords and petrol bombs. Four people have been hospitalised following the incident and their out of danger, sources from the hospital said.

An employee who witnessed the scene giving an explanation on the unpleasant incident told The Sunday Leader that the attack was carried out by the mob in less than in 45 seconds.

“The attack was executed in lightning speed. The gang entered the outlet, chased away the customers, and then started to attack the employees and damage the properties using clubs and swords. One individual lit-up two petrol bombs and threw it inside the pharmacy. They fled the area in no time,” said the employee.

An executive attached to the Harcourts (Pvt) Ltd said that the CCTV footage of the mob attacking the pharmacy outlet has been handed over to the Dehiwala police for further inquiries. “We suspect the attack on our outlet is linked with the Aluthgama incident,” the officer added. The officer said that in spite of nationality and race, Buddhists, Hindus and Muslims work together in harmony in the company. Prominent businessman Ahamed Rheyas, owns the company.

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HRCSL commences inquiries

The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) has commenced a separate investigation on the tense situation in Beruwala and Aluthgama.

Commissioner of the HRCSL Dr. Prathiba Mahanamahewa told The Sunday Leader that a team compromising of legal officers and senior investigators has been sent to Aluthgama immediately after the clashes in Dharga town on May 15.
“Our scope and the mandate are limited to 1978 constitution Chapter Three from article 10 to 14. Therefore, the key aspects of the inquiring team is to uncover accurate details of fundamental rights violation and to investigate whether there were any lapsas by state officers,” the Commissioner added.

According to the sources, the inquiry team is to obtain records from police stations, senior DIGs, injured and victimised people, state officers, and Government Agents, in connection with the incidents.
The Commissioner said that necessary steps will be taken to ensure such incidents do reoccur in these areas. “Among all religions, there should be good relations. The other main aim of the inquiry is to recommend remedial actions,” said Mahanamahewa.

The Commissioner added that the HRCSL act empowers the commission to probe in to these incidents. That is called Suo Motu. It’s a Latin term. It is used when a government agency acts on its own cognizance. “The HRCSL has authority to commence investigations, even no fundamental rights violation application has been submitted,” he said. The Commissioner said that further actions will be decided after the compilation of the report.
BS
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Police investigations on Aluthgamna incident

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has commenced separate investigations apart from inquiries being carried out by the police stations in Aluthgama and Beruwala.

“A team led by an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) has been sent to Aluthgama to investigate the incidents” police sources said. Police have apprehended 41 individuals so far from both sides who are reported to be members of the Sinhalese and Muslim mobs. All together 25 individuals have been remanded by the Kalutara Magistrate’s Court on May 17.
Police Media Spokesman SSP Ajith Rohana tld The Sunday Leader that over 50 individuals involved in the Beruwala and Aluthgama clashes have been identified.
BS

http://www.thesundayleader.lk/2014/06/22/the-burning-fires-of-aluthgama/

 

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Religious extremism and racial violence are the horrendous forces that threaten the political stability of the Asian and African continents and even other continents as well, bringing in its wake death, destruction and suffering.  Islamic extremism in North East China’s Xinjiang province, Afghanistan and other Central Asian regions through the Middle East right down to African countries like Nigeria and Kenya has severely destabilised these countries. Today religious extremism is threatening to engulf Iraq in another civil war. Religious extremism is the scourge of the 21st Century.

The organisation of Buddhist monks known as the Bodhu Bala Sena (BBS) which has drawn unwelcome global attention to Sri Lanka because of threats and intimidation made to minorities such as Christians and Muslims should recall the tremendous forbearance which Sinhalese exhibited in the face of the gross provocations of the late LTTE leader Velupillai Prabakaran to get a backlash of violence by the Sinhalese against Tamils.

True enough the violence the Sinhalese mobs unleashed on defenseless Tamils in 1983 justifiably caused global outrage although the abhorrence of the vast majority of Sinhalese to such savagery and the risks taken by some to save and protect their fellow Tamil brethren went unnoticed.  A positive development was that gross provocations of Prabakaran such as the mowing down of meditating pilgrims under the Sacred Bo Tree at Anuradhapura with fire from AK-47s, bombing of the Temple of the Sacred Tooth in Kandy, cold blooded killing of 34 Buddhist monks at Arantalawa and the massacre of over 600 policemen who surrendered to the LTTE, were endured by the Sinhalese in silent agony.

The world saw who the real terrorists were when the expected backlash did not happen. The benefit of non- violence should be a salutary reminder to fire-brands of the BBS.

What the BBS is attempting to do is ridiculous and idiotic. The country is at peace. A stong government elected by the Sinhalese majority is in power to protect majority interests. Slight friction between different religious groups may occur as in any multi- racial, multi- religious communities. But to go on religious and communal witch-hunts on minor issues which can be settled through discussions by leaders of the communities betrays a sheer fanaticism.

What the objectives of the BBS are not clear. They have brought disgrace both to the religion and country.

Certainly like any other organisation, the BBS has the freedom to speak on behalf of the interests of their religion and race. They have carried on a campaign against ‘halal certification’ – justified or not – and have been successful. They have carried on campaigns against location of mosques which they claim are located premises of Buddhist temples, protested against conversion of Buddhists to Christianity by Christian pastors, and are against  birth control measures such as  vasectomy conducted in government institutions. These do not contravene existing laws and if they do can be taken for decision to the courts.

But in all their attempts the BBS must abide by the law of the land and not violate the law. Buddhists will expect them to conduct themselves in accordance with the laws of the Vinaya as laid down by the Buddha himself. There is a belief among the Sangha that they have been deemed by history as the ‘Guardians of the Buddha Dhamma in Sri Lanka’. It is manifestly clear even to laymen that the Sangha can be the ‘Guardians of the Dhamma’ if they do abide by the teachings of the Enlightened One  and not go through exercises such as muscling through police cordons to forcibly crash into ministries.

It is crucial that the government realises the threat posed to people of all ethnicities in the country by the actions of the BBS. A continuation of freedoms enjoyed by the BBS has the potential to draw this country towards the post 1983 era, where the lowest of human failings paved the way for three decades of blood and mayhem that no right thinking citizen of the country desires to revisit. It is imperative that the government maintains law and order in the country and arrest the culprits behind the tragedy of Aluthgama who are taking refuge behind the sacred saffron robe.

Arrest them and then look towards the necessary legislation that will prevent the country being held to ransom by the vested interests of a few. If banning the BBS is what provides the security that the minority communities in this country demand, then there must be no hesitation in the administration to do so. This administration as the one that finally rid this country of the terror that the LTTE espoused, knows best the real cost of war, and cannot therefore allow itself the blame of allowing the commencement of another.

http://www.thesundayleader.lk/2014/06/22/take-immediate-action-against-bbs/

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By Camelia Nathaniel

The Ministry of Defence says it has no information over the alleged presence of Jihadists in Sri Lanka.

Government Minister PataliChampikaRanawaka was quoted in the media yesterday as saying there were Jihadists operating in the country.

However when questioned over the claims, Defence Ministry and military spokesman Brigadier RuwanWanigasooriya said that the military had not come across any tangible evidence to support such claims.

He said the military intelligence maintains a presence that covers the entire country and it has not found evidence to back claims of such groups operating in the country.

“At present what we need to worry more about is the common enemy which is the international pressure brought upon by the separatist elements of the Tamil Diaspora rather than focus on threats which are not in existence. Our common enemy right now is the separatist elements that has gained access to some foreign governments, international organisations and international non-governmental organisations with the prime objective of establishing a separate state in the North and East of Sri Lanka. As a nation irrespective of religious or other differences we have to work together to defeat that threat rather than worrying about internal differences with which we have lived harmoniously for thousands of years,” he added.

http://www.thesundayleader.lk/2014/06/22/no-jihadists-in-sri-lanka/

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Government ministers have called for the arrest of the General Secretary of the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) the Venerable Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thero in connection with the violence in Aluthgama last weekend.

Veteran left-wing politician and Member of Parliament, Vasudeva Nanayakkara says Gnanasara Thero, together with the other members of the organization, should be taken into custody by the law enforcement authorities for instigating racial tension between the Buddhists and Muslims of this country, which led to the devastating incidents in Aluthgama last week.

“The first action should be taken against the BBS and its captain, Venerable Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thero. He is the face of all the evil that was unleashed. Therefore action must first be taken against the person who planned and got this whole operation going, the BBS, the Venerable Gnanasara and whoever closely supported them and they should be arrested,” said Nanayakkara. Meanwhile, the President of the BBS, the Venerable Kirama Wimalajothi Thero condemned the behavior of the BBS and Gnanasara Thero accusing him of bringing disrepute to Buddhism.

He said that the mobs that went on a rampage later on were not residents of those areas but they were persons who had come from outside the area. Hence it is very clear that it was a planned and well orchestrated attack to discredit the government.

“I cannot condone or approve the actions of the BBS in this incident and it only served to provoke a much graver situation.

It was wrong for the BBS to go there after that incident and hold a rally in that area as it was clear that it would only add fuel to the situation. We must also understand that it is not the peace loving general Muslim community, but there are other extremist Muslim elements in this country as well. Not only them but there are extremist Christian elements as well. These extremist elements have been trying for a long time to destabilize the peace in this country. By the actions of the BBS they simply played into the hands of these extremist elements,” added Wimalajothi Thero.

The whole incident began when a monk on his way to a sermon on Poya Day was apparently assaulted by several Muslim youth in Dharga Town. The monks and Buddhist organizations in the area had then called for a meeting and had also asked the BBS to attend this meeting. However during the meeting Gnanasara Thero had called on the Sinhala Buddhists to wake up and stand up against the Muslims and also boycott their products. He also claimed that the President was brainless to appoint a Muslim to the post of Justice Minister.

After the meeting, the BBS claims that while they were traveling peacefully in order to drop off the monk who was attacked at the temple on their way back to the Highway in order to get back to Colombo, they were attacked by some Muslim youth from the Mosque premises.

This sparked a series of mob attacks that resulted in the loss of four lives and injuries to over 80. Many shops and houses of both the Muslims and Sinhalese were damaged and burnt in several areas following the attacks. However, the residents in the area claim that these mobs were not from the area but were groups that were brought in from other areas. The President has called for a full investigation into the incident and promised action against the perpetrators.

http://www.thesundayleader.lk/2014/06/22/arrest-him/

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By Waruni Karunarathne
Pictures by Asoka Fernando and Megara Tegal

The incident in Aluthgama that instill terror in the hearts of the Muslim community left nearly 10000 people dislocated.
Divisional Secretary of the Beruwala Divisional Secretariat Janaka Sri Chandraguptha told The Sunday Leader that there were 8000 Muslims and 2000 Sinhalese among those who were displaced due to the incident. He added that there were initially 9 Muslim and 6 Sinhala internally displaced persons (IDP) camps – but the number of the Muslim IDP camps had come down to 7 by last Thursday.
The Al Humaisara National College is also now converted to an IDP camp for those who were dislocated due to the incident. The Old Boys’ Association (OGA) of the college and Muslims in the village along with other volunteers have been helping the displaced persons to settle in the school. They have been providing necessary facilities within their capacity.

Secretary of a mosque in Beruwala, Arush who is part of the volunteers’ team added, “The people in the camp are from the Ambepitiya area of the Beruwala Divisional Secretariat. There were about 346 Muslim families in the area – now 267 families are in the IDP camp at the Al Humaisara National College and others have found refuge with their relatives.  There are total of 999 people in this camp – 486 men and 513 women and the number includes 66 breastfeeding mothers, 54 infants and 17 pregnant mothers. There are also 27 senior citizens and differently-abled persons and 5 people injured during the attack.” He added that 3 of the pregnant mothers are expecting to deliver at anytime soon, but they re scared to be admitted to the hospital.

According to him, 30 houses in the Ambepitiya area have received considerable damages. But several other houses were completely destroyed and 3 houses were fully burnt down to the ground.

Inadequate protection

Afraz, one of the old boys of the Al Humaisara National College told that when the houses were attacked in Ambepitiya, people initially had found refuge at the semi governmental institute Jamiah Naleemiyyah Islamiah – however the government had stated that they would not be able to provide protection, necessary goods and services if the displaced persons are lodged in a semi-government institute. He added, “Therefore people were shifted to the school as the school is a government institute.

Arush added that the education of the students in the area is completely disrupted due to the incident and even though the curfew is now being lifted they would not be able to reopen the Al Humaisara College as it functions as an IDP camp. He added, “Students were supposed to have there second term examination from 17th to 27th of this month. There are many students who are getting prepared for their A/L examination that falls in August. Their education is completely disrupted.”

The Therupalli Mosque in Darga town is one of the main Muslim IDP camps and hold more than 2500 displaced people in the camp. M.J.M Samsudeen added that there are about 7 mosques in the area that were being converted to IDP camps. He added that over 150 houses in his area were severely damaged.
One of the affected persons Fazmia said, “We have been here in the mosque since Monday. The very next day after the incident, my husband and I along with my two kids came to the mosque for protection. Our house was burnt down and there is nothing left in the house. In my area 16 houses were completely burnt down to ashes. All of them are also here in the camp.” She further added that their livelihood is being greatly affected due to the incident. She said that her family owned a small clothing business, but it was all set on fire. “The mob has stolen all the money and valuables before setting fire to the house – and there is hardly anyway of recovering the damage – and we do not have any place to go back to,” she lamented.

Sanitary facilities – a major issue

According to the people in the IDP camps, during the attack the mob has robbed the houses and taken all the valuables like jewelries, computers and laptops that they could carry and had burnt and destroyed the rest.
Rizana a female displaced person in one of the camps added, “We do not have sanitary facilities here. There are lots of young girls in the camp and there is a need for sanitary pads. Many are still wearing the same clothes that we were wearing as we ran away from home. We do not have anything to change into. Most of us came to the camp without carrying a single thing. Some people have been sending us certain goods, but most of us have not received anything.”
Adeeja added, “There are patients in the camp, but we have not received any medicine or health services from the government. Some Muslim pharmacy owners have been doing the needful.”
Another woman added, “We are not people who lived like beggars. Our people worked hard and most of us earned a good living. Everything is being destroyed and we are being brought down to the level where we wait for others to give us food and clothing. And we had done nothing to deserve this.”

Fathima a pregnant mother in an IDP camp added, “We do not receive proper food and I am still wearing the same cloth for nearly three days. I do not have access to proper medication. I am worried about the health of my unborn child.”
According to Samsudeen, they have been able to provide food and necessary other goods to the displaced people thanks to the private organisations and individuals who had been sending donations whereas the government had done nothing up to that point.
Divisional Secretary of the Beruwala Divisional Secretariat Janaka Sri Chandraguptha added that since the day of the displacement, the government had been providing prepared food as well as dry food such as rice, tea packets, sugar packets and milk power for the people in the IDP camps. He denied the claims of some people that the government has not taken measures to provide necessary food items, health and other services. According to him, he and the Government Agent visited all the IDP camps and looked into their needs and took measures to dispatch health officers to provide health services and deployed necessary employees for waste management in the camps. He added that they initially provided 50 temporary tents for the displaced persons and are continuing to provide more facilities. He added that he has the list of signatures received from the persons in charge of the camps while handing over prepared food and dry food items. He further added that under the instruction of the President they have also dispatched the Gramasewaka officers in the area to collect details of the displaced people and by Monday they will compile all the data and take necessary steps to resettle the people.
Samsudeen added that the camps have received enough dry foods from private organisations for now but since the Ramadan season will start towards the end of this month, people are agitated that they would not be able to return to their houses. He added, “Lots of houses were burnt. Most houses do not have doors and windows and they have received severe damages. Mostly, what these people want is necessary building materials to build those houses or some sort of compensation.”

Even though the police are encouraging people to return to houses that are not damaged, Muslims in the camps are still afraid to leave the IDP camps. One of the affected persons added, “The police are asking us to return to our homes saying that the STF is there to ensure our safety. How can we rely on them to provide us safety – during the attack they did nothing to give us protection. We do not have facilities in the camp but we are scared to go back to our houses. We feel safer in the camp.”

S. Rushdi added, “If we were displaced due to a flood or some sort of natural disasters, we could have made up our minds.” But he added that the saddest realization is that they are being displaced because some groups of people could not simply tolerate another religion and race. This is a threat to peace and stability of the entire country.

http://www.thesundayleader.lk/2014/06/22/the-human-tragedy-of-aluthgama/

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