People denied drinking water as well as justice by Rajapakses- kill 2 injure 81

(Lanka-e-News-02.Aug.2013,11.30PM) As a result of the direct unlawful orders of the Commander in chief , President Mahinda Rajapakse and his criminal defense Secretary Gotabaya Rajapakse , two civilians have died and 39 others have been hospitalized , and among them six are in a critical condition and two are treated in the ICU. The others among the 81 injured had obtained outdoor medical treatment .

People Denied Drinking Water as Well as Justice by Rajapakses- Kill 2 Injure 81 by nelvely

Army Blamed For Weliweriya Mayhem »

By Nirmala Kannangara in Weliweriya and Rathupaswala-Sunday, August 04, 2013
Pictures by Asoka Fernando

Akila, Akila’s grieving grandmother, Chasing the protestors and Clarence

Sri Lanka Army has come under severe criticism for firing live bullets to disperse a crowd that was staging a protest demanding drinking water at Weliweriya on Thursday.

The army is further accused of not allowing the people to take the critically injured to the hospital after the shooting.
The clash following the protest killed one person while injuring over 15 including media personnel. The Weliweriya incident reminded of the Katunayake Free Trade Zone shooting incident that killed Roshen Chanaka and the Chilaw Fishermen agitations over the price hike of kerosene oil.

Weliweriya town in the Gampaha District and its suburbs looked more like a mini battle field on Thursday afternoon when a contingent of army personnel fired live bullets at the villagers who had gathered in their numbers to protest against a rubber glove factory in Rathupaswala that had allegedly discharged their untreated chemical waste to a large trench.

The Police protection the villagers did not get was given to the accused factory in Rathupaswala, Unused ammunition found
by the road side, Villagers showing the empty cartridges picked up from the road side and Weliweriya town looked like battle field

As a result, ground water in and around Gampaha were contaminated depriving more than 10,000 families any access to clean drinking water.

Dipped Products PLC is a subsidiary of the Hayleys Group that manufactures rubber gloves. The manufacturing plant is situated at Rathupaswala in Weliweriya and is accused of discharging their chemical waste to the trench untreated. As a result the ground water over the years has become contaminated and according to the villagers, the area public health inspectors (PHI) have wanted the villagers not to use the well water as it causes many severe diseases.

The Sunday Leader visited the area and spoke to several residents.     Read More »

Another Weliweriya clash victim succumbs to injuries

By Ashan Paranahewa-2013-08-04 14:

Another individual among four persons who were receiving treatment at the Colombo National Hospital after being injured during the clash between security forces and the public in Weliweriya on Thursday (01) has succumbed to injuries a short while ago, Director of the Hospital Dr. Anil Jasinghe told Ceylon Today Online.

Meanwhile, Director of the Emergency Unit of the hospital Doctor Kapila Wickramanayake stated that one injured person is receiving treatment at the Intensive Care Unit of the hospital, while another person is receiving treatment in Ward 79 of the hospital.

Thereby, three individuals have succumbed to injuries so far after being injured in the clash between Security forces and the area residents of Weliweriya, who were protesting over contaminated water on Thursday (01).

Earlier, a 19 year old youth who was also injured in the incident succumbed to injuries last night (03) while receiving treatment at the Colombo National Hospital.

Meanwhile, a 17 year old youth Akila Dinesh Jayawardena was killed allegedly due to gunshots injuries during the clash in the Rathuwaswela , Waliweriya area in Gampaha on Thursday (01).

More than thirty persons who were injured in the incident were admitted to the Gampaha, Wathupitiya and Ragama Hospitals. (Ceylon Today Online)

Weliweriya Shooting, Family Bandyism And The Presidential System

By Laksiri Fernando -August 4, 2013

Dr. Laksiri Fernando

Presidency, of course is the problem! We are all concerned about the day to day happenings in the country, not so much of the Deraniyagala killing, but mostly of the Weliweriya shooting at present. The latter has overtaken by the former. But we should not lose sight of the larger picture and the key structural issues behind our predicament, if we need to genuinely seek solutions to our problems. Only passing comments on structural issues, either way, might not be sufficient. What we are facing is a systemic crisis without any exaggeration.

The President has not come up with any apology or even a statement after the brutal Weliweriya shooting. After all he is the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces (not his brother!) in addition to being the Head of State and the Head of Government. It is unlikely that he would, except perhaps through his Secretary. That is the ‘immunity’ he enjoys under the Presidential Constitution. This is not to say that a statement or even an apology would ameliorate the situation.

‘Family bandyism’ of the Rajapaksas or MR’s split personality (smile and thuggery) might explain the specific nature of the regime, but not the generic character of the regime-system. Anyway, his personality has changed a lot after becoming the President and particularly after the end of the war. Perhaps it has lot to do with the happenings at the last stages of the war. There appears to be a serious deterioration in the ethical and moral premises of the regime and the personality.                     Read More    

Weliweriya Haunts Me: I Remember Mahinda’s Smile, Is He Smiling Now?

The brutal military action in Weliweriya was a message| Photo (AFP/FILE)

By Namini Wijedasa -

Namini Wijedasa

I can’t sleep. For two days in a row, I woke up at 3 am. The first time, I didn’t know why I was awake. Today, it’s much clearer. Those moving images of armed soldiers and battle-tanks mowing down defenceless villagers atWeliweriya haunt me.

In my mind, the events keep merging: What I saw happen at Weliweriya fromamateur television footage; and what I imagine might have happened in the North, during those final, anguished months of the army’s war with theLiberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.

Civilians had perished in that battle. In Weliweriya, too, there was a battle. It was even more disproportionate than the war in the North. In Weliweriya, there were no armed fighters—terrorists—to retaliate, in any form, against advancing troops. If they could kill with such careless abandon Sinhala villagers in the South, demonstrating for clean water…                                  Read More 

Weliweriya and its aftermath

August 3, 2013, 

Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa’s office sent out an urgent press release on Friday evening titled ``Govt. and Opp. Parties solve Gampaha water crisis.’’ Rajapaksa is the SLFP’s Gampaha district leader and it is natural that he should take serious note of what happened last week when the military was deployed to disperse a massive protest against alleged contamination of ground water by a factory in Weliweriya that has been operating since 1976. Rajapaksa had invited MPs, Provincial Councilors and local body heads from all parties holding elected office in the district as well as the concerned government officials and it was agreed that the fleet delivering potable water to affected villages would be beefed-up and a pipe-borne water supply for the area accelerated.

There is no doubt that disproportionate force was used to disperse the unarmed protestors who were blocking the main Kandy road causing great inconvenience to thousands of road users who were not party to the dispute. An old soldier says that normally when military assistance is required to assist police to deal with a situation such as Thursday’s, a 30-strong platoon under the command of a lieutenant would be sent. They would be armed with rifles and possibly one light machine-gun, normally kept in the rear, in case the mob goes out of hand. The order to fire is given by the officer; no soldier could do so on his own. He makes the further point that according to the Criminal Procedure Code, the IGP, Magistrate or GA (now District Secretary?) has to make the request to the army. Exceptionally a captain or major may be sent with more troops, a major commanding a company of about 120 men - about three to four platoons.

But in this instance a very senior officer holding the rank of brigadier was on the spot and there were picture of him addressing (confronting?) the crowd. The fact that the army has appointed a five-member Board of Inquiry headed by its adjutant-general, an officer holding the rank of major-general, to inquire into the incident including allegations of assaulting civilians and journalists and killing a teenager is clear evidence that the whole business had shaken both the government and the military. Nobody in authority has yet said whether the boy who died had been killed by a bullet and whether others injured bore gunshot injuries. In incidents like this, fleeing people can be injured in stampedes too. That evidence, no doubt, will emerge in the short term.

The water contamination, if it was due to effluents from the Venigros rubber glove making factory belonging to Dipped Products PLC, a member of the Hayleys conglomerate, must necessarily have been a process over a long period of time. It obviously could not be a one-off incident. The fact that the government was delivering water to affected villages from before the project suggests that there was some kind of problem over the water in the area. If such was the case, did it need the loss of a young life and injuries to scores of people for the authorities to act with the urgency now on display? Minister Dullas Alahapperuma told a press conference at SLFP headquarters on Friday that a group seeking political mileage had triggered the tension. He added a new dimension by specifically alleging that a few months ago the factory management had sacked over a 100 workers belonging to a JVP union for creating tension in the factory for ``political gain.’’

Clearly there had to be considerable organization for the numbers that joined the protest to be mobilized. If there were genuine grievances that the concerned authorities were dragging their feet over a serious pollution issue, and people of the area felt that their water was being poisoned, that would undoubtedly have swelled the crowd. Yet there had to be some organization behind the protest. Something totally spontaneous could not have raised the numbers present. Alahapperuma revealed that both President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Minister Basil Rajapaksa had talked over the phone to a Buddhist monk who had begun a fast on this issue which had then been abandoned. But the reporting suggests that the water quality testing, at least by state agencies, had begun only after the smelly stuff hit the fan. Surely Venigros would have had its own internal checks on whether the factory had a problem. Hayleys is a big conglomerate responsible for a couple of percentage points of the country’s total exports. Dipped Products is the world’s biggest non-medical rubber glove manufacturer. Both that company as well as its parent enjoys a reputation that extends beyond the shores of this country. They would also wield considerable influence with the government, not only for the reason that they are a major player in the economy nationally but also because Hayleys’ major shareholder, Mr. Dhammika Perera, is close to the ruling establishment. He, after all, once headed the BOI and functions as Secretary to the Ministry of Transport despite the many business hats he wears.

Nevertheless the government was quick in ordering the factory’s closure until tests determine whether it was in fact polluting ground water in surrounding areas. Venigros is optimistic that the factory can resume operations very quickly and we hope this would be the case. Given that a teenager died in the counter to the protest, that many people including some military personnel were injured and that there is a real or perceived water pollution issue, the whoe business has inevitably been politicized. That is why both Messrs. Ranil Wickremesinghe and General Sarath Fonseka toured the area post-protest and attendant events. Wickremesinghe was once MP for Biyagama and Fonseka was elected to Parliament from the Gampaha district before he was unseated. Alahapperuma also had his say from SLFP headquarters. It’s a good thing that Minister Basil Rajapaksa had MPs/MPCs from his own party, the UNP and the Frontline Socialist Party present when he called a meeting to sort out the water matter. The press release from his office did not mention a JVP presence. Maybe that party has no elected representatives in the Gampaha district? We do not know.

There is no escaping the fact that that disproportionate force had been used against the protesters. Alahapperuma alleged that the Defence Secretary’s factory closure order, until tests are completed, had been conveyed to the protesters by forces personnel who had been attacked ``even using petrol bombs,’’ according to a state media report. Five or six soldiers had also been injured in the melee, one seriously, this report said. However, if journalists were attacked and efforts made to prevent photographic recording of the event, whether by video or still equipment, commonsense decrees an admission of overreaction. We hope that this incident will teach those concerned not to use the army to do work that must be done by the police unless in the case of dire necessity. Whoever is at fault, that is a lesson that must be taken to heart.

‘Give me my child’ SUNDAY, 04 AUGUST 2013  The wailing mother of Akila, who was killed during the unrest in Weliweriya, weeps insisting that her only son be brought back to life. Akila was buried today at the Weliweriya cemetery amidst a large gathering of residents, friends and colleagues. Pix by Kushan Pathiraja thiraja

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‘Give me my child’ by nelvely

Critical Questions Arising From The Incidents At Weliweriya

By Fr. Sarath Iddamalgoda -August 4, 2013 

Fr. Sarath Iddamalgoda

The news from Weliweriya is really distressing. The whole country is in a state shock hearing the impact of Army-Police assault on the civilians. The exact number of deaths is not known. First it was said that few were injured at the scene. Later it was reported that 4 or 6 are dead. The people of this country have a right to know the exact number of the dead and the injured.

In such situation of atrocity, a concerned citizen of this country, has a right to ask whether such killings can be tolerated? Could such a protest by the innocent and unarmed civilians demanding a basic necessity of life i.e. drinking water be targeted with bullets? Whatever the questions one may raise, killings at Weliweriya cannot be justified on any grounds. It must be reiterated that nobody in sound senses would order to confront the citizens (a harmless demand of about citizens of 10 villages) with bullets when their demand is just drinking water, one of the basic necessities of human life.

The people at Weliweriya neither acted on imagination nor got mobilized by sheer selfish political interests. They were motivated by a real need; water without which survival is impossible.  The monks who participated in this struggle vouched that the need is genuine. Only those drunk in polluted water of power consider it otherwise.

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What Noori Estate And Weliweriya Teach Us

By Kishali Pinto-Jayawardena -August 4, 2013 

Kishali Pinto-Jayawardena -

When will Sri Lankans take matters into their own hands and teach this arrogant if not foolhardy Government some sharp and telling lessons in just rule?

Incredibly shocking pattern of events

This week, one innocent teenager died and more than twenty five civilians were injured as a result of the army shooting at unarmed protestors atWeliweriya who were demanding that water contamination in their area, allegedly by a factory, be stopped. Proportionate and restrained civilian law enforcement is now firmly a thing of the past. Inhumane assaults by soldiers of protestors, journalists and even those who were merely caught up in the unholy melee have been recorded despite the army’s denials.

Usage of live ammunition against demonstrators by the police and the army is a peculiar feature of theRajapaksa administration and is bolstered by the large numbers of anti-riot weaponry and ammunition which were acquired post-war. Weliweriya, which resembled a mini-war zone during this incident, is only the most recent casualty. We will see far more excesses in coming months. In fact, the ironies in comparisons with a war situation that the Sri Lankan people foolishly thought was over in 2009, crops up time and time again. Just a few days ago, the Chief Priest of Noori, Deraniyagala in the Kegalle District, in detailing the terrorizing of his villagers from as far back as 2008 at the hands of local politicians benefitting from high political patronage, referred to his area as being ‘un-cleared’.

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HRC Probe On Weliweriya »

By Easwaran Rutnam and Indika Sri Aravinda- Sunday, August 04, 2013

The Sri Lanka Human Rights Commission has launched an investigation into the Weliweriya incident, HRC Commissioner Dr Prathiba Mahanamahewa said.

He said that a special five-member team had been sent to the area on Friday to carry out preliminary inquiries into the incident.

Dr Mahanamahewa said that the five-member team had recorded statements from the police, the public, a church in the area and from others involved in the incident.

He said that a discussion will take place tomorrow (Monday) between the Human Rights Commission, 26 government institutions and others based on the statements recorded.

“Following the discussion we hope to issue some recommendations,” he said.

Meanwhile a report is to be compiled by a government and opposition committee on the incidents which took place in Weliweriya last week.

Gampaha District Parliamentarian and Government Minister Lasantha Alagiyawanna said that the committee includes Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa, other government and opposition parliamentarians including UNP MP Ruwan Wijeywardena and the District Secretary.

Alagiyawanna said that the committee met on Friday and discussed the situation and will have further discussions to decide on the next course of action after clashes left one person dead and at least 23 injured.

He said that the committee also discussed providing compensation to the families of the victims and those injured in the clash.

The army has also launched an investigation into the clashes at Weliweriya amidst allegations that soldiers mishandled the situation.

Army Commander Lieutenant General Daya Ratnayake on Friday appointed a special board of inquiry headed by Major General Jagath Dias to investigate the army role in the clashes.

Meanwhile army spokesman Brigadier Ruwan Wanigasuriya said that most soldiers placed at Weliweriya have been withdrawn and only a few still remain there.

“They are there to assist the police and we expect them to be removed from there soon. While assisting the police in its investigations the army is conducting it own internal investigation,” he said.

The army spokesman however noted that the soldiers never directly attacked the protesters and only defended themselves against a group who had attacked the police and army using petrol bombs.

Television footage showed soldiers firing in the air and at times directing their guns at the protesters who pelted stones and other objects at the troops during the violence earlier in the evening.

Meanwhile the President of the Bar Association (BASL) Upul Jayasuriya said the BASL is ready to assist the public who want to seek legal assistance over the Weliweriya incident.

He said that several people had already contacted the BASL saying they are looking for their loved once alleged to have gone missing after the incident and the BASL will provide the legal assistance to those people.

“Who watches the watchmen?” Reforming Sri Lanka’s Detention Centres

“Who watches the watchmen?” Reforming Sri Lanka’s Detention Centres

Photo by Lakruwan Wanniarachchi/AFP/Getty Images, via Asia Society

Groundviews

Aaranya Rajasingam-4 Aug, 2013Rehabilitation and reintegration of ex-militants or “terrorists” as they are more often termed, following the blanket approach that is being taken post 9/11, is still a new concept in the field of counterinsurgency. The plethora of state military actions against nationalist seditions, rebel groups, paramilitaries and other non state militaries have ensured that in a short period there has been a rapid increase in the number of detention centres and rehabilitation programmes for these cadres worldwide.  And Sri Lanka is no exception in this matter.

Sri Lanka ended its three decade long civil war with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in May 2009. This was an unprecedented military victory, where not only was the LTTE’s top military and political leadership killed, but its forces crushed and territory ravaged. After the end of the war the state and its leadership began to advertise their successes regarding the war and rehabilitation of suspected militants. This was soon accompanied by domestic and international criticism regarding human rights violations and lack of adherence to international humanitarian law during the last months of war and after. Sri Lanka has, so far, managed to side step many of these demands made by the international community at the UNHRC resolutions.[1]

Pressures have mounted once again, however, as the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOG) approaches closer and member nations have stepped up their demands on the Sri Lankan leadership to restore its commitments to human rights and a sustainable plan of action towards reconciliation. It is at this juncture that it seems pertinent to revaluate the ongoing rehabilitation and reintegration programme of ex-militants spearheaded by the government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) to see how far it has succeeded and understand the implications of its limitations. This article will try to underscore the terms under which such strategies should be evaluated in the Sri Lankan context, and identify what can be done to rectify the inadequacies of these policies.   Continue reading »

To Shoot At People Who Raise Their Hands In Surrender Is Illegal – Weliweriya Residents

August 4, 2013

As the death toll rose to three from the Weliweriya clashes on Thursday night, enraged residents told the BBC the morning after the incident that security forces personnel had pursued and attacked people inside the St. Anthony’s Church in the area.

“According to internationally accepted rules of war it is illegal to attack people inside a hospital, a religious place of worship or a school,” one resident of Weliweriya told the BBC.

Residents said that there were bullet holes and bloodstains at the church. They said the parish grounds had been filled that night with people seeking refuge and looking for their loved ones who had gone to demonstrate against the contamination of ground water in the area.

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DEATH TOLL IN WELIWERIYA CLASH RISES TO 3 AS ANOTHER YOUTH SUCCUMBS

August 4, 2013 

Villagers block Colombo-Kandy road at Weliweriya in protest on Thursday (August 01)

Another person died from wounds suffered when villagers demonstrating against contaminated water at Weliweriya clashed with security forces personnel, taking the death toll from the incident to three.

A 29 year-old youth being treated at the Colombo National Hospital following the Weliweriya incident succumbed to injuries today, a spokesman for the hospital said. 

He is said to be Nilantha Pushpakumara, a resident of Weliweriya.

A 17-year-old student, Akila Dinesh, died Thursday night from the shooting while another youth, Ravishan Perera, 19, who was critically wounded had died last night in the ICU of the National Hospital.

Dozens more protesters were wounded on Thursday when security personnel clashed with hundreds of demonstrators, who demanded that authorities shut down a factory in the area, which they claim was polluting their drinking water.

The company, Dipped Products PLC, however has rejected the accusations saying the factory’s effluent water quality is regularly tested by the National Building and Research Organization and that the facility operates with valid Environmental Protection Licence. 

“We have reasonable suspicions that this incident is being aggravated by certain parties with hidden political agendas who are seeking to bring our company to disrepute and tarnish the good image…,” Managing Director of the company Dr. Mahesha Ranasoma said in a statement today.  

Opposition parties and other rights groups have condemned the crackdown against the protest by villagers who were demanding clean drinking water for thousands of residents of Weliweriya and have criticized the manner in which authorities had handled the situation.

The military said it had named a five-member board of inquiry to probe the allegations against the troops.

Meanwhile security forces are standing guard at the plant while security has been tightened in the entire area.

WikiLeaks: In 2008, Rajapaksa Introduced A New Levy To Counter Damage Caused To The Environment

A victimised protester against the ground water contamination scandal in the Gampaha

August 4, 2013 |

“The budget introduced a new ‘Environment Conservation Levy’ to counter damage caused to the environment through water and air pollution and soil erosion. The government estimates the cost of these forms of environmental damage to be over 2 percent of GDP. The government intends to devote more funds to environmental protection by taxing individuals, businesses, and items considered to be harmful to the environment. It will collect Rs 20 per month from every household that owns a vehicle, a telephone and an electricity connection. (Comment: While the environment conservation goal is laudable, this is likely to be another of the many supposedly purpose-designated taxes that in practice mostly ends up going towards general revenue.)” the US Embassy Colombo informed Washington.

The Colombo Telegraph found the related leaked cable from the WikiLeaks database. The ‘Unclassified’ cable discusses the Rajapaksa’s 2008 budget . The cable was written on December 13, 2007  by the US Ambassador to Colombo Robert O. Blake.                                Read More

Viewing cable 07COLOMBO1661, SRI LANKA: 2008 BUDGET WOULD BOOST DEFENSE AND TRANSFERS TO RAJAPAKSA CONSTITUENTS

If you are new to these pages, please read an introduction on the structure of a cable as well as how to discuss them with others. See also the FAQs 

SUBJECT: SRI LANKA: 2008 BUDGET WOULD BOOST DEFENSE AND TRANSFERS TO RAJAPAKSA CONSTITUENTS 
 
REF: A. COLOMBO 1562 
     ¶B. COLOMBO 1464 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary and comment: The Rajapaksa government could survive 
or fall depending on the outcome of a December 14 final vote on its 
2008 budget.  The proposed budget continues the president's emphasis 
on high taxes to fund big government and transfers to his primary 
constituents: civil servants, farmers, unemployed college graduates, 
and poor people.  The government claims that revenues will keep pace 
with expenditures, but this is no more likely for the 2008 budget 
than it was for the 2006 and 2007 budgets, whose deficit spending 
spurred inflation.  The budget significantly raises defense spending 
and substantially increases allocations to ministries that the 
president and his brothers control.  We share the view of many civil 
society critics that this budget illustrates the Rajapaksa 
government's short-sighted, politically driven, and often 
non-transparent management of the Sri Lankan economy.  From what 
this budget indicates, we doubt the government can contain inflation 
or realize the 7.5 percent growth it predicts for 2008.  End summary 
and comment. 

Full Story>>>

Sinhala military takes over Muslim cemetery at Pulmoaddai

[TamilNet, Saturday, 03 August 2013, 18:29 GMT]
Even the sole Muslim cemetery in Pulmoaddai at the narrow border between the North and East of the country of Ezham Tamils was not spared from appropriation by the occupying Sinhala military that bents on Sinhalicising and militarizing the strategic link. While the Tamil-speaking Muslims, who make 90 per cent of the traditional village of Pul-moaddai is left without a cemetery, about 500 acres of land in that place has been given to a Buddhist monk to build a Sinhala-Buddhist enclave. The military and Survey Department of the Sinhala State were openly involved in the project. The blatant demographic genocide takes place while there is a Muslim Chief Minister in the East, proving what is ultimately aimed by the Provincial Councils backed by New Delhi and Washington, political activists in the East said. 

The Muslim cemetery of the coastal village is appropriated by the occupying Sinhala State Navy.

Apart from the cemetery, Muslim lands in the village are also taken over on a massive scale, news sources said.

Last week, a meeting was held in the office of the chief minister of the Eastern Provincial Council to discuss the ongoing appropriation of lands belonging to Muslims in Pulmoaddai.

But the provincial system may not be able to do any thing political observers said.

Pul-moaddai (meaning grassy pond), situated at a sandbar on the side of the Eastern Province of the North-East border, is not only a must location from the genocidal point of view, but is also a place of significant economic importance because of the ilmanite deposits found there beneath the white sand dunes.

During the genocidal war, the military of the New Delhi Establishment had a station there ostensibly for the purpose of medical assistance, but actually to coordinate monitoring.

It is likely that the international Establishments are interested in militarizing Pul-moaddai. But as they have no choice other than promoting Sinhala military, the structural genocide taking place at Pul-moaddai and throughout the country of Ezham Tamils also cannot be stopped, unless masses take up the struggle in different dimensions, making it inevitable for the involved powers to deliver justice, political observers in the island commented.

Gota Is Praised By Muslims Says The Ministry Of Defence

August 4, 2013 

Muslim leaders thanked the Secretary for his commitment in solving social issues that arose in the past while protecting the interests of the community, says the Ministry of Defence Sri Lanka.

Secretary to the MOD Gotabaya Rajapaksa participated at a traditional ‘Iftar’ ceremony at the Hotel Ramada in Colombo last evening (01st August). The Iftar was hosted by the Ministry of Defence and Urban Development.

“Rajapaksa’s initiative in organizing such a religious gathering with the presence of invitees from different cultural and religious backgrounds came under praise from all those present. They commended the initiative of the Secretary in facilitating an environment where peaceful coexistence among all religious and ethnic groups can thrive.” MOD said in its official website.

Secretary MOD sat down together with Islamic religious dignitaries and scholars who had arrived from many parts of the country to break fast in keeping with traditional customs. 

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