News

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.

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 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.

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 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

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.”