Mob disrupts meeting for families of disappeared
04 August 2014

Updated 15.34 A second meeting for families of the disappeared was forcefully cancelled over concerns of safety, after mobs led by Buddhist monks disrupted a similar meeting held earlier today. Condemning the incidents of mob intimidation, the Deputy Chief of the US Mission consoled Tamil families and said that he would raise the issue with the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister, tweeted an independent journalist, @DushiYanthini. "You have seen first hand what has happened today. The world has seen it as well," Mike Honigstein further added. Updated 14:57   Picture: @Mari_deSilva A mob led by Buddhist monks has disrupted a meeting in Colombo, attended by diplomats and families of disappeared from the Northeast of the island. According to activists and journalists on Twitter, the mob charged into the meeting and shouted abuse at the Tamil relatives of the disappeared, with some taking photographs of those at the meeting, which was then cancelled. Diplomats from the US, UK and the EU, including the Acting Deputy Chief of the US mission, Mike Honigstein, witnessed the incident. “You are selling our motherland for dollars. You are supported by the USA to give evidence at [the] war crimes panel,” the protestors shouted, according to journalist Dushi Yanthini. The monks also said that they disrupted the meeting as those in attendance were the families of fallen LTTE cadres, tweeted Azzam Ameen, a journalist with the BBC Sinhala service.   DushiYanthini @DushiYanthini Follow "You are living lavishly with US dollars!"~violent protesters shouted in Sinhala at Centre for Society&Religion. #LKA 7:44 AM - 4 Aug 2014 The Tamils were “terrified” and some were in tears, the journalist said. Police are reported to have summoned 5 members of the NGO’s organising committee, and despite the organisers' refusals, they were taken to a police station, Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka tweeted. The meeting, which was organised by the Centre for Society and Religion, a Catholic NGO, was not open to the public.   Marisa @Mari_deSilva Follow Families of #disappeared, including children from the #North terrified by #ProGovt mob abusive shouting at #CSR 7:08 AM - 4 Aug 2014   Marisa @Mari_deSilva Follow #ProGovt goons take pictures and footage of families of #disappeared, organizers & participants of gathering at #CSR 7:40 AM - 4 Aug 2014