News

Uva Wellassa University was closed today until further notice due to the spread of Chickenpox, Vice Chancellor Dr Jayantha Lal Rathnasekara said.

He added that twenty-seven hostellers who were infected with the disease were sent home immediately and the non-academic activities were suspended.

Source: Daily News

161 persons have been arrested over incidents of violence in Kandy in past couple of days, and 69 arrested persons have been arrested in other parts of the country up to date, according to Police Spokesman.

Meanwhile Two school children were also arrested by Criminal Investigations Department (CID) for allegedly spreading news via social media which initiated disharmony among nations.

The arrested students aged 17 and 18 were identified as residents of Homagama, Minuwangoda, according to Police Spokesman SP Ruwan Gunasekara.

Colombo Chief Magistrate yesterday ordered the two students to be detained till March 22 at the Youth Detention Centre at Makola.

They were arrested on Friday (9) and Saturday (10) by the Crime Investigation Department (CID) in Minuwangoda and Homagama.

Further investigations into the incident are being carried out by CID.

Sri Lankan authorities declared a state of emergency after a string of violent anti-Muslim incidents left at least two people dead [Dinuka Liyanawatte/Reuters]

The United Nations on Sunday condemned a string of anti-Muslim attacks in Sri Lanka including the burning of mosques and businesses.

Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman told the Sri Lankan government the people behind the violence should be brought to justice.

During his visit Feltman "condemned the breakdown in law and order and the attacks against Muslims and their property", a UN statement said.

Feltman, who met with local Muslim leaders to show solidarity, "urged swift and full implementation of the government's commitment to bring the perpetrators of the violence and hate speech to justice, to take measures to prevent recurrence, and to enforce non-discriminatory rule of law".

Violent attacks against Muslims swept the central district of Kandy over the last week.

The violence, triggered by the death of a Sinhalese Buddhist man after being beaten by a group of Muslim men over a traffic dispute, left at least two dead with and mosques, dozens of homes, and businesses torched or destroyed.

Several dozen people were wounded in the riots.

Authorities declared a state of emergency and imposed a curfew in an attempt to curtail the violence, but Sri Lankan Muslims told Al Jazeera they were concerned the attacks would continue.

Police have arrested the suspected instigators of the riots.

On Saturday, President Maithripala Sirisena announced a three-member panel will be appointed to investigate and lifted the curfew. However, soldiers remained in the streets.

The violence has raised fears of instability in Sri Lanka, a South Asian island nation still struggling to recover from nearly three decades of ethnic civil war.

(Al Jazeera)

Two underworld figures believed to be the henchman of underworld kingpin Madhush Lakshitha alias Makandure Madhush were arrested by the Police Special Task Force (STF) today.

The duo was arrested from the Medigama area in Weligama, Matara today along with several firearms.

Madhush is currently believed to be operating from Dubai according to Police intelligence sources. He is suspected of killing rival underworld figure Samayan, as well as orchestrating an attack on Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) officer IP Neomal Rangajeewa.

Scores of Muslims chased out of their homes by Sinhalese mob violence in central Sri Lanka have been forced to seek shelter in a makeshift refugee camp despite government claims of bringing the situation under control.

178 Muslims camping in the Endarutenna school in Kandy district, lament the inaction by security forces, which led to desecrating places of worship and the destruction of their homes.

Ten of the displaced are pregnant mothers. Many children are among them.

They had fled the Pahala Endarutenna Muslim village following a series of attacks culminating in the burning and sacking of 56 households, despite repeated appeals to the police and military.

President Maithripala Sirisena had declared a state of emergency throughout the island on 6 March, while the Kandy district remained under curfew.

Top government and security officials announced that thousands of additional troops have been deployed to the area.

The attacks on Pahala Endarutenna, 10 kilometres from the tourist city of Kandy, started on 5 March with a petrol bomb thrown at the Majeed Ahmed mosque in the afternoon.

Residents have immediately informed the police.

“Not to worry”

On the next evening a group who came in motor bicycles have thrown bottles of beer at devotees who gathered for prayers. Two police officers on mobile patrol arrived at the scene only to tell the villagers “not to worry”.

Residents who rushed to the mosque on 7 Wednesday after hearing a blast in the early hours of the morning have found their place of worship engulfed in flames. Five police officers who visited the mosque premises after being alerted, had left nearly two hours later claiming that they have no permission to stay longer.

Pahala Endarutenna came under heavy attack after police vacated the village around 3.30 am, said an Internally Displaced Person (IDP) who witnessed the horror.

“Around 11 in the morning one of our villagers came running to warn us of a mob coming to attack,” Badurdeen Mohamed Arshard told JDS over the phone.

“Many came riding motorbikes, covering their faces with bandanas and T shirts. They threw petrol bombs all over the place. We told the women, children and the elderly to run and hide in the woods.”

The mob had left only to return with a larger group to renew the violence on the Muslims and raid their valuables.

“Please don’t kill”

“Pregnant mothers were unable to run. Elderly and children were also among us. Some pleaded crying ‘please don’t kill us’. We made desperate phone calls to the military and the police.”

Troops had taken over four hours to arrive at the scene.“That was too late. Our homes were destroyed and burnt down. Wardrobes and cupboards were smashed to steal jewelry, cash and other valuables,” said Mohamed Arshad.

Military ‘assurances’

Sri Lanka army chief who visited the camp in Enderutenna school had requested villagers to return. He had assured to provide security while saying that he is unable to guarantee the arrest of criminals.

Expressing their disappointment to Army Commander Mahesh Senanayaka, the displaced Muslims pointed out that the military in the possession of all available CCTV recordings from the scene should be able to identify perpetrators.

A displaced Muslim was skeptical of the assurance given by the top man in the military.

“What is the point of giving security now? When thugs came to destroy our homes, we begged for the army and police to help us. No one came at that time. Where do we have homes to go now?”

Most of the recorded violence against Muslims in Kandy had been unleashed when emergency regulations were in place. Almost all the attacks in the night had been launched when the curfew was in operation and armed troops deployed.

Government officials were seen going around Kandy district in the weekend to assess the damage. Army commander Mahesh Senanayake had promised to utilize troops to rebuild damaged properties by May, with funds from the government.

Source : JDS Lanka

The police had given time to the Kandy rioters to attack and escape within an hour. The Minister of Posts M.H. A Haleem says.

He said the police had allowed these attacks and a political leader in his area too was involved in the matter. The Minister made these comments at a meeting held in Kandy under the patronage of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe

He also said that due to the office of the Mahason Balakaya being located in Digana, residents had requested for Police protection prior to this incident as violence ensued.

However, Minister Rauf Hakeem speaking on the occasion said that several police officers may have been supported the rioters, but the entire police department cannot be accused of acting in such a manner.

In a remarkable show of unity and co-existence over 200 members of the public came together to rebuild a Muslim owned shop burnt down in Anamaduwa yesterday.

According to sources around 7 youth had arrived on motorcycles going on to set fire to Madeena Muslim Hotel in Anamaduwa. While four of the suspects have now been arrested, the Police are on the lookout for the other three.

But what was significant is that less than 12 hours, Madeena Muslim Hotel was yet again open for business despite suffering serious damage in the attack due to the efforts of the people in Anamaduwa.

State Minister, Palitha Range Bandara, religious leaders, Police and the public gathered for the shop’s opening after restoration last night.

The Chairman of the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL), Austin Fernando says the blockade on selected social media and chat applications has not been discontinued, as an order to do so has not been received by the TRCSL from the authorised body.

“The ban on social media is still on. If the decision is to be reversed, the same due process that was followed to impose the original ban has to be followed again.

The Director-General of TRCSL cannot take the decision on his own, but it should come through a recommendation from the Defence Secretary,” Fernando said.

On Wednesday, March 7, the intelligence agency of the government, the State Intelligence Service, requested the Defence Ministry to consider a blockade on social media to control hate speech and rumours that was fast spreading. Thereafter, the Secretary to the Ministry of Defence, Kapila Waidyaratne recommended to the Director General of Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL) to consider such a blockade.

Acting on the directive, the TRCSL ordered telecommunication operators to temporarily block Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp and Viber to quell the violence spreading in Kandy and other areas.Internet access in the Kandy district was also restrained until further notice. In a statement, Minister of Telecommunications, Digital Infrastructure and Foreign Employment, Harin Fernando said the Government was compelled to take ‘extraordinary but temporary measures’ to contain the increasing spread of hate speech and violence through social media websites and phone messaging applications.

“The past few days has seen technology created to bring people together, being used to pull people apart. Social media websites such as Facebook, Whatsapp and Viber - which were created to bring us closer to our friends and family and make communication free and convenient, have been used to destroy families, lives and private property,” the Minister said. Secretary to the Ministry of Defence, Kapila Waidyaratne yesterday said that the social media ban will be lifted as soon as the intelligence agencies reporting to the ministry inform that the situation in the country has returned to normal.

Reiterating that national security, peace and peace of mind among the public was the priority utmost priority, the Defence Secretary, who is also a President’s Counsel explained that the rationale behind the ban was purely for security.

Source : Sunday Observer

All government schools in Kandy Administrative District which were closed on March 7 owing to the prevailing unrest in parts of the district will reopen tomorrow (12), said Central Province Chief Minister Sarath Ekanayake.

 According to the Chief Minister said that the decision was taken after considering the peaceful situation prevailing in the Kandy Administrative District at present.

Meanwhile, Police Spokesman SP Ruwan Gunasekara said curfew will also not be imposed going further in Kandy administrative district as the situation appears to have stabled.

Ramith Rambukwella son of Joint Opposition MP, Keheliya Rambukwella was arrested on Friday night by the Narahenpita Police. According to the Police he was arrested for driving while intoxicated.

Police sources said Rambukwella had almost run over two undergraduates of the Open University in Nawala and had then gone on to attack another student with a pistol during a confrontation with bystanders following the accident.

The students involved in the accident had only sustained minor injuries according to the Police. However, the individual attacked by Rambukwella had also lodged a complaint with the Police regarding the assault.

Chandi Malli’s Son

Meanwhile, UPFA Southern Provincial Council member M.K. Kasun and his wife Tharaka Perera, who assaulted the private bus driver near Koswatta junction in Thalangama Police division on Friday (09), was ordered to be remanded till Tuesday (13) by the Kaduwela Magistrate, yesterday.

A video recorded by a passenger in the bus showed the driver of the 177 bus being brutally attacked by Kasun, while his wife was brandishing a pistol and kicking the victim ceaselessly. The driver was subsequently admitted to the Mulleriyawa base hospital.

Thalangama Police have recovered the pistol and five bullets when the duo was arrested at the place of incident.

M.K Kasun, a UPFA council member for the Southern Province who is now aligned with the pro-Rajapaksa Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna faction (SLPP), is the son of former SPC member M.K Ranjith, also a well-known underworld member Chandi Malli who was shot dead in Colombo. Pro-Rajapaksa local councillors and provincial legislators have long been in the limelight for criminal activity and acts of political thuggery.

In 2011, former Tangalle PS chairman, a close ally of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Sampath Vidanapathirana infamously murdered British tourist Khurram Sheikh and raped his girlfriend who was holidaying in the area.

After lengthy delays, Vidanapathirana was finally convicted for the murder in 2014, after the British Government and the victim’s family exerted massive pressure on the authorities to bring the killers to justice.

Investigations into the incident are continuing, Thalangama Police said.

A person who identifies himself as an officer attached to the Sri Lankan Amy has appeared to have published Facebook posts openly promoting violence against minorities.

In two separate Facebook posts, the Army officer, going by the name ‘Thishan Srinath Perera’ on Facebook had indicated that assaults against minorities must be carried out as "small group attacks".

In another post, he urges attackers to cover their faces while engaging in violent activities.

However, it is yet to be established whether the owner of this Facebook is actually a member of the Army.

But the post appears to be a cause of concern for members of the public as this comes against a backdrop where the Sri Lankan government deployed the military to ensure safety of Muslims in the Kandy district.

Source : Asian Mirror and Facebook

People in Kandy who were subjected to anti-Muslim violence felt that they felt a deep regret over the recent assaults after they had lived with the Sinhalese people who had lived in harmony and peace.

Mohamed Fayzul, a young man whose house was burnt down, said most of the attackers were not rioters but "robbers" instead.

He regretted the incident claiming that he had lived in harmony with the Sinhalese till now. According to him, valuables from his house were robber including gold jewellery.

“This is not racism, this is robbery,” he said.

These attacks were incited after a Sinhala man was assaulted by four Muslim men due to a personal dispute. They were later arrested by the Police.

Apart from this, 81 persons including 81 persons including the leader of the Mahasona Balaya Amit Weerasinghe have been arrested in connection with the anti-Muslim attacks.