Sri Lanka: UN resolution shows government failure to investigate past and present rights abuses

21 March 2013

A new UN resolution does a good job of highlighting past and ongoing human rights violations in Sri Lanka, but regrettably fails to establish an independent and international investigation into alleged crimes under international law, Amnesty International said.

The UN Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva this morning passed a resolution on the need to promote reconciliation and accountability in Sri Lanka following the country’s armed conflict, which ended in 2009.

Yolanda Foster, Amnesty International’s Sri Lanka expert, said:

“This is a positive development. UN Member States have sent a clear signal to the Sri Lankan government that crimes of the past cannot simply be ignored, but need to be investigated and the perpetrators brought to justice.

“The text also crucially highlights the still very worrying human rights situation in Sri Lanka today, and calls for regular UN reporting on the implementation of the resolution, including of ongoing human rights violations.

“Since the conflict ended, we have seen the government crack down on dissenting views in a bid to increase its grip on power. Human rights defenders, journalists and the judiciary are among those that have been targeted through threats, harassment or even violent attacks – this has to stop.

“However, it is regrettable that the resolution fails to establish an independent and international investigation into the armed conflict, and alleged crimes under international law by both the government and the Tamil Tigers. It is clear that the Sri Lankan government is unwilling and unable to investigate these events itself, so an international probe is the only way to obtain the truth and justice necessary for genuine reconciliation.”

The HRC will next review the resolution’s implementation in September 2013, before the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in November, currently set to take place in Colombo.

“This resolution should be a wake-up call for all Commonwealth countries - they cannot leave grave human rights violations in Sri Lanka unaddressed.  Commonwealth leaders must ensure before they meet in November that justice for past crimes has been served in Sri Lanka,” Foster said.

AI Index: PRE01/140/2013

UN Human Rights Council Vote on Sri Lanka Reconciliation

Press Statement

John Kerry
Secretary of State

Washington, DC

March 21, 2013

Today’s vote in the UN Human Rights Council encourages the Government of Sri Lanka to continue on the path toward lasting peace and prosperity following decades of civil war and instability. This resolution, which builds on a similar 2012 resolution, reaffirmed that Sri Lanka must take meaningful action on reconciliation and accountability in order to move forward. The United States, together with international partners, calls upon the Government of Sri Lanka to fulfill its public commitments to its own people on these longstanding issues.

While some important progress has been made, there is much work still to be done. We look to the Government of Sri Lanka to implement the recommendations of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) and to reverse recent negative developments on rule of law and human rights. The United States stands ready to assist with this vital work. I look forward to continuing our engagement with the Government of Sri Lanka and strengthening our friendship with the Sri Lankan people.

Sri Lanka blocks BBC reports as UN condemns anti-Tamil violence

By Asian Correspondent Mar 22, 2013 

By Fred Carver

Sri Lanka is disrupting BBC broadcasts in an apparent attempt to censor reports of a United Nations resolution that criticises escalating violence against the island’s ethnic Tamils.

The Sri Lankan Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) interrupted transmissions by the BBC’s Tamil language service as a high level UN human rights session in Geneva prepared to criticise the government for failing to investigate war atrocities or stem ongoing persecution.

Censorship is nothing new in Sri Lanka. This image shows a reader looking at a censored article in the 'Sunday Times' newspaper in 2000. Pic: AP.

The move echoes similar interference by Sri Lanka’s national broadcaster in 2009, just as the government launched its final assault to defeat Tamil Tiger rebels fighting for control of the country’s north. That disruption prompted the BBC to suspend transmissions in protest.

The UN’s Human Rights Council on Thursday passed a resolution urging Sri Lanka to properly investigate atrocities committed during the final stages of the civil conflict. It also expressed concerns about continued killings, torture, religious persecution, attacks on activists and journalists.

(READ MORE: UN rights body urges tougher Sri Lanka probe)

But BBC Tamil programmes on the issue, which would normally be broadcast via a partnership with the SLBC, were replaced with alternative transmissions that either pushed the government’s point of view or focused on unrelated issues. Interference began on March 17 and ended on March 20.

“The replacement of the BBC coverage constitutes a direct infringement of the right to information of the Tamil population,” said Bashana Abeywardane of the journalists collective JDS Lanka. “In doing so, the authors of this censorship have once again demonstrated their unwillingness to change the repressive policies towards the Tamils. Their continuous disregard and flagrant attack on press freedom is callous and shocking.”

Tensions between Sri Lanka’s ethnic Sinhalese population, who are mainly Buddhists, and other minority groups including Tamils, Muslims and Christians, appear to be increasing daily in Sri Lanka. The government has denied encouraging attacks, arbitrary arrests, disappearances and torture.

But even as the UN prepared to vote on its resolution, there was evidence that the government is seeking to stifle or silence those trying to shed light on the situation. Earlier this month security forces stopped 700 mainly female Tamil protestors from travelling to the Sri Lankan capital Colombo.

The group had been planning a legal demonstration to demand justice for relatives who have disappeared or been detained since the end of the war.

There have also been recent claims of a secret government plan to arrest Tamil and other activists who have travelled to Geneva to assist the United Nations in formulating its resolution. Under the plan the activists will be detained if they expressed support for Tamil separatism.

Such moves come despite the government’s own expressed commitment to a reconciliation process following its own widely-criticised investigations into the 27-year war and its aftermath.

The UN resolution urged Sri Lanka to reopen investigations with “an independent and credible” examination of crimes said to have resulted in the deaths of up to 40,000 people, mainly Tamil civilians, at the hands of government forces in the final weeks of conflict. It also called on the government to address “continuing reports of violations of human rights” in Sri Lanka.

(READ MORE: Commonwealth struggles for unity amid Sri Lanka HR concerns)

Such requests come at a sensitive time for Sri Lanka, which is trying to restore its international reputation in the wake of the conflict. Tens of thousands of tourists are now returning to the island and the country has been named as host of a major Commonwealth heads of state meeting later this year.

Fred Carver is campaign director of the Sri Lanka Campaign

Sri Lanka’s Anti-Muslim Campaign Fuels Discord

By Munza Mushtaq -March 22, 2013 

Munza Mushtaq

Sri Lanka’s minority Muslim community is coming under intense pressure from a hard-line Buddhist monk organization allegedly linked to certain powerful individuals in the President Mahinda Rajapaksa-led administration.

The Buddhist Power Force, more commonly known as the “Bodu Bala Sena” (BBS) in the native Sinhala language has lashed out at the country’s second-largest minority, which makes up 9.2% of the population, demanding an outright ban on several Muslim practices including the traditional dress code of women and halal dietary guidelines.

Just days after pressuring the All Ceylon Jamiyyathul Ulama (ACJU), the apex religious body of Islamic Theologians in Sri Lanka into withdrawing the halal certification provided to companies in the country, the BBS is now targeting the traditional Muslim garb including the abaya (long black cloak), niqab (face cover) and hijab (head cover).

Addressing a news conference in Colombo, the group’s general secretary, Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara, said the Muslim attire was creating all kinds of social and security issues.

“We will fight until this attire is banned from this country, so that there is no chance to unofficially enforce the Islamic Sharia Law in Sri Lanka, which is a Buddhist nation,” he said.

In the days since the announcement of the anti-Muslim campaign, several Muslim women have complained of harassment from unidentified men. On March 15, four young Muslim women dressed in the black cloak and head cover were dragged by their dress across the road by several men at the main Railway Station in Colombo. Several passers-by came to the rescue of the four women by chasing the men, who eventually fled.

“A Muslim woman who had been walking down a road in an afternoon was spat at by a man, who used foul language and asked her to leave Sri Lanka and go back to some Arab country,” an acquaintance of the victim who spoke on the condition of anonymity told Asia Times Online.

BBS, which identifies itself as an organization that opposes what it defines as Islamism, Sharia law and Islamic extremism, intensified its campaign against Muslims in February demanding the abrogation of the halal process.

The BBS alleged that the fee charged by the ACJU to provide the certification was collected to fund Islamic extremism in the country. The group also went to the extent of accusing the Islamic theologian body established in the country in 1924 of funding Islamic militant organizations such as al-Qaeda.

The BBS has failed to provide any substantial proof to their claims; that hasn’t stopped their continuing rhetoric. The allegation over halal certification has been flatly denied by the ACJH, which has stressed that only a nominal fee is charged for the certification process to cover operating costs such as logistics and human resources.

As an effort to maintain harmony in the country, the ACJU last week announced that it has decided to stop issuing the ”halal” logo to all companies, stating that the certification will only be provided free of charge for products catering to the export market as and when requested by the manufacturers.

“We are making a sacrifice because we value the centuries of peace that have existed between our communities,” ACJU president Ash Sheikh Rizwe Mufthi told a news conference in Colombo convened to announce the halting of the halal certification process.

The BBS has expressed displeasure over ACJU’s decision to continue to provide halal certification for the export market and is demanding the scrapping of the entire process. The halting of the certification has created difficulties for entire Muslim community, who now face a loss of confidence in whether their food is in accordance with their religious principles.

Terming the halal process “Islam extremism”, an executive committee member of BBS, Dilantha Vithanage has claimed that Muslims are systematically taking over the country with extremist habits and has called on the Buddhist community, which counts for 74.9% of the country’s population, to boycott all Muslim establishments including shops and restaurants, on grounds that contributing to their income will increase Islamic extremism.

Small independent groups with alleged links to the Bodu Bala Sena have threatened to throw rotten eggs on Buddhist women who defy these orders and shop at Muslim-owned shopping centers. Anti-Muslim campaignshave also sprung up on social media sites such as Facebook.

Meanwhile, the BBS has set their sights on a historic rock cave mosque in Kuragala, 135 kilometers east of the capital, Colombo. The mosque’s existence dates back to the 10th century. Gnanasara claims that it should be removed because it is situated in a vast Buddhist monastery complex.

The government is yet to come out openly and condemn the victimization of the Muslim community, and even Muslim ministers in the government are quiet despite the continuous harassment of their community. Sri Lankan police chief N K Illangakoon has said that he will ensure the safety, security and equality of everyone, no matter to which race or religion they belong. However, there have been various instances where the police have failed to act on complaints lodged by Muslims against repeated forms of harassment and intimidation.

Secretary to the Ministry of Defence Gotabaya Rajapaksa, a brother of the president, has publicly associated himself with the BBS despite mounting criticism against the group. The BBS is also strongly backed by theJathika Hela Urumaya, a partner of the ruling coalition.

Analysts expressed concern on grounds that just months before Sri Lanka celebrates its fourth anniversary since ending the quarter-century long bloody war with the Tamil Tigers, the country is showing signs of yet another ethnic conflict. Addressing a mass rally in Kandy, some 100 kilometers from Colombo, BBS’s executive committee member Dilantha Vithanage vowed to continue his organization’s “struggle” on behalf of the Buddhist community.

Meanwhile, veteran left-wing Sri Lankan politician Vasudeva Nanayakkara has expressed concerns over the increased activities of the BBS, warning that their activities can lead to riots in the country. The Jeddah-based Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), a body comprising of over 57 member countries, this week wrote to the Sri Lankan government expressing its concerns over the escalating ethnic tensions in the island.

*Munza Mushtaq is a journalist based in Colombo and a former news editor of two English newspapers in Sri Lanka. A version of this article id first appeared in  Asia Times Online.

 Sri Lanka Muslim Council urges President to take decisive action on Buddhist extremists 

Fri, Mar 22, 2013, 11:42 am SL Time, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

Mar 22, Colombo: The Muslim Council of Sri Lanka has urged the President among several requests to take a decisive action by publicly condemning the hate campaign of the Buddhist extremists.

In a letter to President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Head of the Muslim Council of Sri Lanka N.M. Ameen has said these groups have been using the traditional media, social media, public meetings, posters, leaflets, and the circulation of rumors and misinformation insulting Muslims to inculcate a sense of fear and hatred among Sinhalese towards Muslims.

He has asked the President to instruct the police to take necessary action to stop incidents of harassment against minorities and their businesses.

"While we appreciate the many recent pronouncements that your excellency has made regarding the multiethnic nature of our polity, the Muslims' long history in the country, and the necessity of all ethnic and religious groups to live in harmony, we see no substantive reduction in either the incidents of harassment of members of our community or the campaign by the extremist groups," Ameen has said in the letter.

He has added, "These groups have been using the traditional media, social media, public meetings, posters, leaflets, and the circulation of rumors and misinformation insulting Muslims to inculcate a sense of fear and hatred of Muslims among Sinhalese. They are using abusive language when referring to our religious practices and publicly calling for a boycott of businesses run by Muslims."

The Muslim Council of Sri Lanka has called on the President to consider several requests made by them in order to stem the rising tide of anti-Muslim extremism in the country.

Among the requests made by the Council to the President are to take decisive action by publicly condemning the hate campaign of the Buddhist extremists, continue to proclaim publicly that the minorities are equal citizens and equitable stakeholders in the country, and instruct the police to take necessary action to stop incidents of harassment against minorities and their businesses.

Further the Council requested the President to empower the police to respond to instances where such forces try to take the law in to their own hands and ensure that the authorities take action against the media when they contribute to the propagation of hate sentiment.

It also urged the President to diffuse the tension around the halal issue by either empowering the All Ceylon Jamiyyathul Ulama (ACJU) to continue to offer the certification, or by mandating a government institution to engage in the process given that the certification is most necessary to maintain Sri Lanka's export markets.

Calling for justice
The image shows a protest carried out by the Human Rights Organization of Justices of Peace and Citizen of Sri Lanka, against the recent attacks on Buddhist monks in Tamil Nadu. Pix by Pamod Nilru
2013-03-22 

Gotabhaya deeply disappointed with India’s stand

Thanks those who voted against and abstained

March 21, 2013, 10:00 pm 

By Shamindra Ferdinando

Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa yesterday expressed his deep disappointment with the Indian government’s position articulated by its envoy to the UNHRC, Dilip Sinha.

Responding to a statement attributed to Sinha that Sri Lanka should address accountability issues to the satisfaction of the international community, the Defence Secretary told The Island that those wanting Sri Lanka to satisfy the global community should realise that they were adopting double-standards. In fact, they would never have tolerated external intervention in domestic issues, though Sri Lanka was being asked to give into an investigation on the basis of unsubstantiated allegations.

Would India address its accountability issues to the satisfaction of Western powers or the UN? the Defence Secretary asked, while pointing out that no one was talking about the accountability of those godfathers of terrorism here.   

He thanked those governments which voted against the US-led resolution as well as those that abstained in spite of heavy pressure.

The Defence Secretary said that the government always felt it should go for a vote to expose those who had been undermining the post-war reconciliation process at the behest of the LTTE rump. "Had we agreed to a joint resolution, those hypocrites would never have been exposed," the Defence Secretary said, adding: "We are glad as many as 22 countries didn’t go with the US move, in spite of heavy and intense pressure from the most powerful country on earth backed by other ex-colonial powers. With all that they managed only 25 votes."

Making a strongly worded statement, Indian envoy Sinha declared: "We call for effective and timely implementation of all the constructive recommendations contained in the LLRC report, including those pertaining to missing persons, detainees, disappearances and abductions, reduction of ‘high security zones’, return of private lands by the military and withdrawal of security forces from the civilian domain in the Northern Province. We reiterate our call for an independent and credible investigation into allegations of human rights violations and loss of civilian lives. We urge Sri Lanka to take forward measures to ensure accountability. We expect these measures to be to the satisfaction of the international community."

The Defence Secretary said that some countries were obsessed with post-war Sri Lanka. Responding to a query, he said that those demanding action against Sri Lanka on the basis of various reports issued by NGOs were silent on reports which dealt with what was going on in other parts of the world.

Commenting on Sri Lanka’s successful war against the LTTE, he said that India was constantly informed of the ground situation throughout the campaign. 

No more dealings with Tamil Nadu - Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa

Friday, 22 March 2013 

The Defence Secetary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa said on Wednesday (20) that Sri Lanka will have no e dealings with Tamil Nadu.

mor'Considering the harassment meted out to our Sri Lankans, we will ensure maximum punishment is given to the Tamils arriving from Tamil Nadu' he said.

'Tiger sympathisers accuse us for not having compassion and kindness. Yet it is they who lack all these qualities. They are trying to misuse our humanity.'

'I hope the Indian central government will take appropriate measures to arrest those Tiger sympathisers who harassed our Sri Lankans and Buddhist monks. They must be apprehended and maximum legal punishment should be meted out' the Defence Secretary further said.

by Norman Palihawadana

Immediate Past President UNP UK Branch urges perpetrators to be brought to Justice

Friday, 22 March 2013 

I am appalled at the barbarism involved in the recent physical assault of a Buddhist monk from Srilanka at The Central Chennai Railway Station in the Southern State of Tamil Nadu .It would have been a terrifying ordeal for the young monk & would, inevitably send shivers down the spines of hundreds of innocent pilgrims & visitors who visit India every year. I strongly condemn such dastardly attacks on innocent unarmed Sinhalese civilians.

I would strongly urge The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Jayalalitha & the State Government to take all measures to insure the safety, security & well-being of all Srilankan citizens irrespective of ethnicity or race,

I do not proscribe to the views of the Srilankan government as my total loyalty lies with The United National Party led by Ranil Wickramasinghe .However, such mindless acts of violence & intimidation should cease as this would not help the genuine cause & aspirations of the Tamil minority under the present regime led by Mahinda Rajapaksa, Son, Brothers & Co ltd. The basic rights of the Tamil people are constantly being violated by this regime on a daily basis.

I welcome the condemnation of these attacks by Tamil Information Centre(TIC) and Global Tamil forum (GTF) in UK and I join them in urging swift action to bring the perpetrators to justice

I yearn for good governance being restored & under the leadership of Ranil Wickramasinghe where all races can co-exist harmoniously in Srilanka as we did once upon a time.

Roger Srivasan

( Immediate Past President UNP UK Branch, Ex-Co Member APSL UK)

President’s Adviser Made A Complaint That I Scolded The President – Azath Salley

By Colombo Telegraph -March 22, 2013

Yesterday soon after the UNHRC voting took place two jeeps with police officers have come to my residence to arrest me, on informing that I was not available they came to my office. By that time I came out of office and was staying outside up to now, says the Muslim Tamil National Alliance leader Azath Salley.

Azath Salley

Sending an email to Colombo Telegraph he said; “We sent three lawyers to C C D to check, they informed that the President’s adviser on religious affairs, has made a complaint that I scolded the president and intimidated him. If that is the case they should have logged the case at the Cinnamon Garden police station and referred it to the mediation board for settlement but, the information I have got is that five teams have been deployed for my arrest with some reason.”

The Muslim Tamil National Alliance, led by Azath Salley, urged the UN to draw the attention of the Government of Sri Lanka to international standards relevant to the protection and promotion of the rights of minorities.

The letter sent to UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, had said that radical members of the Buddhist clergy were taking the law into their hands, with the enforcers of the law watching from the sidelines.

“After the defeat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealam, the Muslims of Sri Lanka have been looking at every opportunity to bring about national unity at a time when the country is in transition. We fail to understand the failure of the government of Sri Lanka in arresting the current trend which if left to go its course ,would spell disaster for the country we call our home,” the letter said.

UNP calls for demonstrations outside Temple Trees

FRIDAY, 22 MARCH 2013 

United National Party (UNP) Vice President Lakshaman Kiriella today called for protest rallies to be held outside Temple Trees and Parliament over the UNHRC resolution on Sri Lanka instead of demonstrating outside the United States and Indian embassies.

He told a news conference about the stand taken by the UNP on the resolution adopted by the UNHRC and underlined the fact that the vote was an indictment on the UPFA Government and not on Sri Lanka.

Mr. Kiriella said the resolution calls on the Government “to honor its commitment to its own people.”

“This entire resolution consists of the promises made by Sri Lanka to the international community and to this country during the past four years. It contains nothing more than what the government has promised. The demonstrations therefore should be held at the Temple Trees and parliament, not opposite embassies,” he said.

Mr. Kiriella said the government had misled the people about the reasons for the resolution by suppressing the media. (YP,HF)

MaRa swallowing commission ‘kutty’ of China and duped by latter declares war against its neighbor-India

(Lanka-e-News-22.March.2013, 4.00PM) The Medamulana land crocodiles who have swallowed commission ‘kutty’ from China and have been led up the garden path by China has declared open ‘war’ against its neighbor , India. The puny land crocodile of the Medamulana who hold the post of defense Secretary had banned visits to India, and publicly announced that those who arrive from Tamil Nadu shall be punished. At the same time , the official spokesman for the government , another land crocodile hiding its face behind a beard , Minister Keheliya Rambukwella at the media briefing on Cabinet decisions yesterday said, the Trincomalee oil tank that had been given on lease to India will be taken back and given over to another country , implying that China will be the next lessee. May we recall that Lanka e news reported that the government is in readiness to give over the loss incurring Hambanthota Sea Port and the Mattala Airport to China citing losses as the ground. It is significant to note that the Medamulana land crocodile government is following its characteristic cheap political agenda taking advantage of this attack on the Buddhist monks in India , while India has already arrested ten suspects in this connection and produced them in courts. India joining with the other countries to urge that human rights shall be respected and safeguarded within SL, has provoked the human rights violators. The Medamulana land crocodiles of the jungles are of the view that while claiming that it is a sovereign govt. it can follow its jungle laws which they are accustomed to being land crocodiles, can kill humans according to their whims and fancies after throwing the rule of law and human rights into the garbage bin where the Medamulana crocodiles are headed for, and the world must look the other side and turn a blind eye to their atrocities and misdeeds. It is very evident from the dastardly and desperate actions of the Rajapakse regime which is stoking the flames of racial and religious hatred across the country to cover up its bankruptcy , is aiming at winning the elections in the offing with the Buddhist votes exploiting Buddhist extremism and fanaticism which are rearing their ugly heads, currently parading and demonstrating violently on the streets against minority communities. Because of this selfish self centered objectives of the power crazy Medamulana land crocodiles , the final outcome is going to be - our motherland being turned into a theater of war between the rival powers ,China and India when , people of SL only will have to bear the brunt of the deadly fallouts. Prior to Buddhist monks being assaulted in India , there had been many incidents in SL where the monks were assaulted by the brutal MaRa regime mongols , the so called great lovers of Buddhism and Buddhist monks. The photographs herein depict. The Biyagama Ven. Sunila Thera who came forward to campaign for General Fonseka’s freedom was assaulted on 11th February 2010 at Maharagama. Similarly MaRa’s goons and gangsters launched attacks on monks on 5th April 2010 at the Satyagraha staged in Colombo demanding the release of Fonseka. During the last north central provincial elections , the Ven. S M Chandrasena Thera was attacked until his robe was torn into shreds and it dropped down. The monk had to be hospitalized for several days for medical treatment.. India , at least took action against the assailants of the monk . But in SL , what MaRa did was , he promoted Chandrasena responsible for the assault of the monk to the post of chief Minister . It is in the midst of these glaring incontrovertible facts and figures , scoundrels like Champika Ranawake , Bengamuwe Nalaka, Nanasara running a harem of five women are setting the country on fire misleading , deceiving and arousing the people, exploiting racism and extremism.

Video: UNHRC resolution on SL adopted

THURSDAY, 21 MARCH 2013 

The draft resolution against Sri Lanka was adopted a short while ago. 25 countries voted for the resolution, 13 against with 8 member nations abstaining from voting





► WATCH

Pitting Lanka Against The World

“By Tisaranee Gunasekara -March 21, 2013 |

“A key lesson is that civic passivity and willed blindness were the preconditions for the triumph of National Socialism….”  Fritz Stern (Leo Baeck Lecture)

Fanatics hate facts. Therefore the fact that the Sinhala population has actually increased between 1982 and 2011 would be of no interest to those who are trying to ignite a new – religious – inferno.

According to census figures, in 1982, Sinhalese constituted 74% of the population; by 2011, this has increased to 74.9%. The Muslims constituted 7% in 1982 and 9.2% in 2011. If any community is in danger of depletion it’s the Tamils. Indu Bandara, Director, Population Census and Demography Division of the Department of Census and Statistics, “disputed a claim being propagated in the country that the Muslim population is likely exceed that of the majority community” (The Island – 18.3.2013).

At the Kandy BBS-Rabble-Rouser-in-Chief, Rev. Gnanasara Thero concluded his speech (in which he warned Buddhist maidens not to become ensnared into harems) by thanking the Secretary to the Ministry of Defence

But the Bodu Bala Sena(BBS) and others of their ilk are unlikely to allow this reality to intrude into their psychotic universe. Having ‘defeated’ the ‘Halal threat’, the BBS is ready to forge ahead to do battle against other ‘dangers’. Their demonising rhetoric against the ‘Abaya’ has already caused several incidents, according toDBS Jeyaraj[i]. Advertently or not, the BBS monks are enabling uncouth and criminal elements to perpetrate violence against women in the name of religious-patriotism. Currently the threat is limited to Muslim women; gradually it will encompass all women who dress/act in a manner unacceptable to these Talibanisque Sinhala-Buddhists.

Obsessing about female purity is a classic sign of racial/religious fundamentalism. The threat to one’s own womankind from the ‘Lascivious Other’ has been a perennial concern for every fanatic throughout ages. This miscegenation-bogey is currently bedevilling the minds of the BBS. At the organisation’s Kandy meeting, BBS’ arch rabble-rouser, Rev. Galagoda-Atte Gnanasara Thero, talked about a plan by Muslims businesses to hire Sinhala girls and convert them to Islam through marriage or promotions[ii]. He demanded an end to Sinhala girls being employed in Muslim businesses.

According to official reports, in Sri Lanka, rape in general and child rape in particular reached an all time high in 2012. Last year, there were four child rapes per day, including of very young children. But this plague of rape/child rape does not seem to concern the BBS, even though many of the victims are Sinhala/Buddhists. Is it because most of the perpetrators too are Sinhala/Buddhist men and therefore the BBS cannot use it to incite religious/ethnic hatred? Is the BBS silent about this real danger to the physical and psychological wellbeing of Sinhala society because the threat comes from within its own bowels?

In the BBS universe, a consenting relationship between a Sinhala woman and a Muslim man is a far greater danger than the rape of Sinhala children by Sinhala men.

The ‘pollution’ of Aryan women by Jewish men was a major concern of Nazi zealots: “Racial purity, they claimed, could only be attained through total physical apartheid….  ‘Defilement’ of German girls through predatory Jews….(became) a central theme of the anti-Jewish agitation” (Hitler:Hubris – Ian Kershaw). Der Stürmer, edited by arch anti-Semitic Julius Streitcher, specialised in publishing incendiary stories/cartoons about ‘Aryan maidens’ and ‘Jewish seducers’[iii]. The ban on White-Black marriages/cohabitation survived in the US state of Alabama till 2001. Saudi Arabian women are still not allowed to marry men outside the Gulf Corporation Council countries[iv]. The Jewish fundamentalist Lehava organisation ordered Bar Refaeli, anIsraeli model, not to marry Leonardo DiCaprio, the American actor, because he is a gentile.

Until now,Sri Lankawas not affected by this particular madness. Thanks to the BBS, we might succumb to that bacillus as well.

What the BBS has failed to realise is that by making Sri Lanka an unsafe place for her minorities, it is turning the world into an unsafe place for the Sinhalese.

Gotabhaya/BBS Way to an Unsafe World

Last week, two Buddhist monks were attacked by mobs in Tamil Nadu.

Sinhala/Buddhists could visit Tamil Nadu in perfect safety throughout the long Eelam War – and did so, on religious or shopping pilgrimages, in transit or for medical treatment. The spate of attacks on Lankan people and institutions is a very recent phenomenon.

These attacks – especially the last two targeting Buddhist monks – presage the world the BBS and their Rajapaksa-masters will create for all Sinhala-Buddhists, if the anti-Muslim campaign reaches its logical end.

Currently Sinhalese are unsafe only in Tamil Nadu. If the hate campaign against Muslims does not come to a stop, no place in the world will be perfectly safe for a Sinhalese. The most vulnerable would be Lankan workers in theMiddle Eastand Buddhist monks whose robes render them easily identifiable.

Already the first formal protest has been made, by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). The OIC is an umbrella organisation with 57 member states. Islam, like every other religion, consists of many sects. This variety within Islam is incomprehensible to the BBS, just as the variety within the Christian-fold was lost on the JHU. In the ‘Api’ vs. ‘Un’ (US vs Them) world of the BBS, ‘Un’ (them) is any man/woman who follows any form of Islam. Consequently the BBS will antagonise Sunnis and Shias, as well as every single sub-sect within this major divide.

Theirs is the Tiger-way.

What if Vellupillai Pirapaharan did not choose to treat all Muslims as enemies? What if he was genuinely committed to a Tamil-Speaking Elam and tried to win over Muslims to his cause?

He may not have met an inglorious death; he may be presiding over his own state, now.

From a rational Tamil nationalist point of view, winning Muslims to the Eelam cause made sense. But Mr. Pirapaharan wanted a state not for all Tamils speaking people, not even for all Tamils, but for himself and his cohorts. And in that dystopian land there was no room for those who were not ready to abase themselves before the altar of the Sun God. That visceral inability to avoid extremes and to tolerate difference played a major role in the ultimate downfall of the LTTE.

Today, the Rajapaksas and their BBS shock-troops are demonstrating a similar incapacity to avoid extremes and accept/tolerate difference.

At the Kandy BBS-Rabble-Rouser-in-Chief, Rev. Gnanasara Thero concluded his speech (in which he warned Buddhist maidens not to become ensnared into harems) by thanking the Secretary to the Ministry of Defence. A cogitational and behavioural similarity between the Thero and the Presidential Sibling is quite discernible. Both gravitate towards the extremes; both prefer dictatorial solutions. For instance, in a stance which almost echoed that of the BBS, Mr. Rajapaksa told Divaina that “there will be no further dealings with Tamil Nadu…… henceforth all Tamils coming from Tamil Nadu will face maximum legal consequences and punishment” (Sri Lanka Mirror – 21.3.2013)[v].

Anyone with an iota of sense would realise that in a tit-for-tat game with Tamil Nadu, Lanka and Lankans will be the greater losers. But for those blinded by megalomania and consumed with fury, sense is in short supply.  They will push this country into another internal conflict and antagonise most of our remaining international friends. They will endanger all Lankans, at home and in the world.

They are the real Sinhala-Tigers.