News

The blockade imposed on Facebook and other social media networks that are currently enforced will be lifted today, National Policy and Economic Affairs State Minister Dr Harsha de Silva said in Parliament yesterday.

He said the false and malicious content was being spread through social media as anything can be said or spread through social media.

“Trolls and bots manipulate social media sites to spread the false and inflammatory news in an apparent effort to stoke political and ethnic divisions on a large scale.

“Hence, it is difficult to control social media as news is spread so fast” he added.

Therefore, we were compelled to temporarily block social media to stop the spread of this type malicious and inflammatory news. Now the situation is settling,” he said.

Minister de Silva said it is vital to ascertain who these extremist groups are and an independent Presidential Commission should be appointed to investigate this incident. The Commission needs to investigate and determine how these extremist groups that fuelled this incident operate. Information released on social media should be done in a responsible manner.

He said extremists from both the Sinhala and Muslim factions should be identified and punished alike.

“We need to determine who is pouring patrol on the flames of racism. We are definitely not prepared to allow racist elements to once again bring doom to the country as we witnessed for 30 years.”

Therefore, he said it was vital to establish a special commission to conduct a comprehensive investigation to determine these sinister elements who are engaged in spreading racial tensions. They need to be punished irrespective of whether they are Sinhalese or Muslims. Facebook and other social media sites were temporarily blocked for 72 hours to prevent the youth from being instigated and directed towards violent reactions.

However, State Minister de Silva noted that now that the situation has been brought under control this blockade would be lifted by Saturday.

Source: Daily News

The violence occurred in the Ampara and Kandy districts during the last two weeks, which involved deaths, and destruction to properties and places of worship of the Muslim community, is a reflection and an outcome of the alarming Islamophobia developing in Sri Lanka over several years now, the Global Tamil Forum said in statement today.

The statement further states that,

“While expressing our solidarity with the Muslim people of Sri Lanka, we are conscious of the parallels between the struggles the Muslim community faces today and what the Tamil community was subjected to over several decades – systematic vilification of a minority community, unscrupulous exploitation of the situation by power hungry politicians and religious leaders, unwillingness of the security establishment to act in a timely and impartial manner, and the inability of the government leaders to show unwavering commitment to protect minorities without resorting to self-serving political considerations.

It is precisely these conditions culminating in periodic anti-Tamil pogroms, which ultimately led to the three-decade long civil war, the effects of which the country is still struggling to overcome. In this context, Sri Lanka once again going down the same path, vis-a-vis the Muslim community, can only spell disaster and potentially take the country backwards by decades.

Therefore, GTF calls upon the Sri Lankan leaders to take stern action, with full force of the law, not only against those directly involved in the violence but also targeting those instigating falsehood and hatred. It is equally important that the political and religious leaders of all communities, particularly those of the Sinhala Buddhist community, strongly articulate against religious prejudices and communal violence. Finally, the international community has to impress upon Sri Lanka in no uncertain terms that the country will never achieve its full potential without settling its ethnic and religious differences in a peaceful and just manner.”

Curfew will be imposed from 8 pm today to 5 am tomorrow in Kandy administrative district except Kandy Municipal area Police Spokesman SP Ruwan Gunasekara said. According to him the imposed curfew time frame will be reduced as the situation stabilizes.

The curfew imposed at 6pm yesterday was lifted at 6am today. Only 6 incidents of attacks on shops and households were reported in the last 24 hour period the Police said.

Meanwhile all schools in Kandy will reopen on Monday. The announcement was made by the Central Province Chief Minister Sarath Ekanayake today.

The recent incidents of violence in Kandy cannot be considered as an isolated incident sats the Sri Lanka Human Rights Commission.

In a letter addressed to the President, the commision noted that starting from the incident in Gintota to the recent events in Ampara shows a trend of incidents being instigated to create hate between the various communities living in the country.

 Pre Planned attacks by outsiders:

The commission also claimed that in its initial investigations it has been revealed that based on one incident, outsiders have planned and organized these attacks to incite racial hate and violence.

In the letter, they noted that the individual who died due to the attack on February 22 had been cordial with Muslims and Sinhalese people living in the area.

“However, it is observed that action is being taken to spread terror, disunity and hostility among communities in the country due to incitements and criminal acts committed by organized outside elements,” the HRC said.

"Enforce the law"

The letter also brought the President’s attention to the fact that how over the past few years, some of the social networking sites have been used to constantly publish and spread hate statements in a manner that incites the country’s citizens.

While hate and violent speech is a criminal offence under the provisions of the Penal Code of Civil Procedure Act No.56 of 2007 and the Code of Criminal Procedure Act the HRC emphasized the need to enforce the law against those who commit acts of hate speech.

The HRC also said the law should be enforced against those, directly and indirectly, connected to these acts despite their race, economic, political and societal standings.

Leaders of different religions come together to work toward ending 'fear, hatred and suspicion'.

Hundreds of demonstrators including Muslim women shout slogans condemning anti-Muslim violence in front of Fort Railway Station in Colombo on March 8. (ucanews.com photo)

Hundreds of Muslims and rights activists have demonstrated against anti-Muslim attacks in Sri Lanka.

Activists urged the government to ensure the security of Muslims and every citizen as tensions rise across the country.

The government declared a nationwide state of emergency on March 6 for 10 days after religious violence in Kandy. A police curfew has been imposed in the Kandy administrative district and the government has blocked social media networks in an effort to quell the violence.

Many Muslim-owned businesses, shops and houses have been set on fire in recent days.

Saman Rathnapriya, a human rights defender and trade union leader, said Sri Lanka had never learned any lessons from previous communal violence. Those who need power again are behind recent incidents, he said.

He called on all law enforcement authorities to act without partiality and to consider their paramount duty to ensure the security of every citizen and to maintain law and order.

"Former president Mahinda Rajapaksa's regime helped to grow racism and now the results are very negative. Some politicians and Buddhist extremists are responsible for these attacks but the government and authorities are inactive and not taking proactive measures," Rathnapriya told a gathering in front of Fort Railway Station in Colombo on March 8.

"We ask Mahinda Rajapaksa not to spread racism — people should unite to protect our country as one nation."

Hundreds of demonstrators including Muslim women sang slogans against extremist Buddhist monks, government politicians, the president, prime minister and Buddhist mobs. Similar demonstrations were held in several parts of the country.

Tensions erupted after a Sinhalese lorry driver was killed by a group of Muslim men in Kandy. According to local people, Buddhist mobs from outside the area came to Kandy to carry out planned attacks.

Similar anti-Muslim violence erupted in the east of Sri Lanka last week after a rumor spread about birth control pills being served in a Muslim restaurant in Ampara to unsuspecting Sinhalese customers. This fed into Sinhalese fears of a conspiracy by Muslims to reduce the Sinhalese population.

Saman Rathnapriya, a human rights defender and trade union leader, addresses people in front of Fort Railway Station in Colombo on March 8. (ucanews.com photo).

 Religious leaders appeal for calm

Religious leaders have urged the government to ensure the security of every citizen and to maintain law and order.

They called for immediate action to be taken against perpetrators of violence and for measures to restore normalcy in affected areas.

"Kandy is very sensitive with all religions living peacefully. But if there are issues, a common forum is needed provided the state supports such a meeting," Bishop Vianney Fernando of Kandy told ucanews.com. "We uphold this land belongs to all to live in harmony."

Bishop Fernando said priests at local level were involved in inter-religious meetings but there were no follow-ups.

He said religious and political authorities were acting in a reactive manner and not taking proactive measures to curb these situations.

Bishop Winston Fernando of Badulla, president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference in Sri Lanka, said in a statement that it is destructive to give a religious twist to isolated incidents, leaving room for extremists to create a conflagration.

He said he was deeply concerned about the disturbances.

"We should look at all incidents as having potential to unleash violence," he said. "We do not need outsiders to teach us the importance of living in peace and harmony; we have the four major religions to teach us of the spiritual values."

Sri Lanka blocked social media networks including Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Viber temporarily to help quell the violence.

Muslim cleric Mowlavi H.M. Rizwan of the Kandy Mosque told ucanews.com that, under the leadership of Buddhist monks, Muslim priests, Christian priests and Hindu priests have come together to ensure people in remote villages of Kandy do not get involved in the violence.

In the villages of Yakgahapitiya, Ampitiya, Madawela, where some small incidents occurred on March 6-7, leaders have told residents to remain calm and not get involved.

Rizwan said Sinhalese and Muslim people are working together and with religious leaders and the armed forces to protect villages by not allowing any outsiders to enter. He said outside agents were involved in inciting violence in these villages.

The United Nations in Sri Lanka urged authorities to take immediate action against rioters and to swiftly restore normalcy.

Tibbotuwawe Sri Siddhartha Sumangala Mahanayake Thera of the Malwatte Chapter said political divisions are the major contributory factors toward the violence.

The National Christian Council of Sri Lanka appealed to all peace-loving citizens to consider the heavy price of nearly three decades of war and to work toward the peaceful resolution of issues causing recent acts of violence.

"We appeal to all political parties and other formations to act with restraint and not to contribute further to the destabilization of an already fragile government, causing greater harm to the economy and ultimately negatively affecting the poorer sections of our people," said Christian leaders in a statement.

"We appeal to all religious leaders to act together, sustained by our spiritual resources, to work toward resolving all the fear, hatred and suspicion that arises at a time like this."

(ucanews)

The Election Commission said that the list of members elected from the recently held Local Government Elections would be gazetted today.

The Local Government Election polls were held on February 10 to select members to 340 Municipal Councils, Urban Councils and Pradeshiya Sabhas.

Questioning the recently arrested leader of the Mahason Balakaya, Amith Weerasinghe has commenced sources say. He along with the other suspected arrested have been brought to Colombo for investigations Police said.

 According to state intelligence sources, Weerasinghe has created the group using the name of an elite Sri Lanka army troupe the ‘Mahason Balakaya’ to attract Sinhala youth and had formed the hardline organization with the help of several political stalwarts and leading Buddhist monks.

Investigations have also revealed that Weerasinghe had taken bribes from Sinhalese business owners promising that they will be protected by Mahason Balakaya while also saying that they will work towards shutting down Muslim owned businesses. The group is said to collect money from Sinhala businesses claiming that the funds will go towards its members around the country who are working against businesses owned by Muslims.

 Amith Weerasinghe, leader of the Sinhala hardline group Mahason Balakaya were seen in viral videos urging people to join them from the inception of the various incidents.

Recently the Colombo Telegraph also revealed that they were in possession of video evidence of Amith Weerasinghe, leader of the Mahason Balakaya, in conversation with a group including Buddhist monk Galagoda Atte Gnanasara of the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS), regarding carrying out attacks.

Weerasinghe is shown urging the crowd that ‘this is not the time to attack because we are not ready.’ He has argued that the plan of unnamed opponents was to get everyone arrested. He said that in Ampara there weren’t enough Sinhala people to bail out anyone who might get arrested.

However, Colombo Telegraph claimed it cannot confirm the exact date of this conversation.

Weerasinghe has been actively spreading misinformation and is known for hate speech against minorities. However, authorities had failed to initiate any action against him prior to the recent violence. He also manages a Mahason Balakaya Secretariat office in Digana while carrying out his activities unhindered by law enforcement agencies.

Having recognized the importance and urgency of implementation of Kirama Katuwana Water Supply Project and project for Augmentation of Water Pipelines along with the Orugodawatta Ambatale Road Development Project, the Government has secured funding arrangements with the UniCredit Bank of Austria and People's Bank, The MInistry of Finance said.

Accordingly, the UniCredit Bank has agreed to provide Euro 61 million (approximately LKR 11,285 million) in credit facilities for the implementation of the above two projects.

Under the Kirama Katuwana Water Supply Project, it is planned to construct a 3500m3/day water treatment plant and other necessary infrastructure to cater to the drinking water requirement of around 31,000 people living in Katuwana and Walasmulla Divisional Secretariat areas including semi urban communities in Kirama and Katuwana townships. The Austrian Government through the UniCredit Bank of Austria provides an interest free soft loan of Euro 10.48 million to finance this project.

The objective of the Augmentation of Water Pipelines along with the Orugodawatta Ambatale Road Development Project is to shift the existing more than 100 years old water utility pipe network laid along with the Orugodawatta – Ambathale road section into the utility corridor of the road which is being constructed. An Export Credit Facility amounting to Euro 50.6 million will be provided by the UniCredit Bank of Austria to the National Water Supply and Drainage Board to finance 85% of the project cost.

The People’s Bank has agreed to provide the balance 15% of the project cost (approximately LKR 1,410 million).

Analysis: This week's clashes in Kandy are not random or isolated, and without incisive government action there is a strong chance of broader conflict.

By Champa Patel

The gutted remains of a Muslim business torched in Kandy on Wednesday EPA.

In the city of Kandy, located in the Central Province of Sri Lanka, recent attacks against Muslims by Sinhala Buddhist militants have raised fears of increased communal violence. Social media images have shown the scale of damage to Muslim neighbourhoods, with arson attacks and vandalism of Muslim-owned stores and mosques. In response the government declared a 10-day state of emergency for the first time since the end of the civil war era.

What is clear is that the recent violence is not random or isolated. Just before these current attacks, there had been an earlier attack on a mosque and Muslim businesses in the south-eastern town of Ampara.

Hardline Buddhist groups use of social media clearly showed that these attacks were carefully planned drawing in Buddhist militants from surrounding areas.

Since the Sri Lankan civil war ended in 2009, an increasing religious divide has grown, with a rise of such militant Buddhist groups, such as Bodu Bala Sena. Tapping into longstanding insecurities that the Sinhalese and Buddhist nature of the country is under threat, these groups present Islam and Muslims as a religious, cultural and economic threat to the country. Such militant groups then use social media spaces to play on these fears, fuel tensions, and encourage, incite and plan violence.

While Sri Lanka’s Telecommunications Regulatory Commission has temporarily blocked or restricted access to Facebook and other social media services this week, to curb ongoing anti-Muslim rhetoric, this is not an ideal solution given its wider ramifications for free speech.

Hardline Buddhist groups are strengthened in their actions by a culture of impunity where they are not held accountable for any hate speech or violence. Even leaving side the current crisis, it is striking what little the Sri Lankan coalition government has actually done to hold people accountable for acts of violence against Muslim communities. Long-term approaches dealing with communal tensions seem thin on the ground.

There is an urgent need for a strong response from the Sri Lankan government that ensures perpetrators of violence are held accountable for their actions. A relatively small number of militant Buddhist groups are having a disproportionate impact on local communities. If the government does not take a stronger stance – enforcing hate speech laws and arresting and prosecuting those responsible – there is a strong chance that increasingly we will see more targeted violence against Muslim communities and further communal conflict.

Champa Patel is head of the Asia-Pacific programme at Chatham House

All foreign tourists in Sri Lanka could use their passport as a curfew pass during hours of curfew, Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) announced today.

The SLTDA also said that they are currently working with all industry stakeholders to ensure that the recent developments in the Kandy District cause minimal inconvenience to tourists and travellers.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday said action will be taken to pay compensation to the victims affected by the unrest in several areas in the Kandy district.

He added that compensation will be paid and completed soon.The Prime Minister also called up each and every citizen of the country to live in peace and harmony while maintaining law and order.

Making a special statement over the situation in the Kandy district, the Premier added that inciteful messages being shared on social media had led to the spread the unrest in the district.

“It seems that communal messages being shared on social media have led to the spread of riots and the government decided to block social media networks temporarily to contain this situation”, he said.

The Prime Minister added that police is now questioning a number of individuals who were involved in spreading hatred and violence on social media.

The Public Administration Minister was appointed as the Minister of Law and Order by President Maithripala Sirisena upon my recommendation and he is taking every effort to maintain law and order in the country.

He said that he had an extensive discussion about the current situation with the new Law and Order Minister, Ministry Secretary and Chief of Defence Staff and instructed them to take further steps to ensure peace in the area.

Necessary instructions have already been issued to the relevant officials to continue the supply of essential commodities to the Kandy district unabated.He said that these acts of violence perpetrated by a few saboteurs have caused immeasurable damage to the society and the economy of the country. “These incidents of violence put the country into disrepute”, the PM said.

The Premier added that the people who faced untold hardships due to 30 years protracted conflict in the country want to live in peace and harmony.“It is our responsibility to ensure the protection of lives and properties of each and every citizen of the country”, he said.

Source : Daily News

Officers from the Terrorist Investigation Division (TID) have arrested the main suspect accused of instigating the incidents in Kandy, Police Spokesman Ruwan Gunasekara said. He further said that 9 other suspects were also arrested in connection to the clashes that took place in Kandy.

A 12 hour Police curfew has also been reimposed in the Kandy administrative district from 6 pm today to 6 am tomorrow (09), the spokesman announced.