Statement on Aluthgama violence by Rt. Revd Dhiloraj R. Canagasabey, Bishop of Colombo

Photo by Dinouk Colombage, Al Jazeera

by Groundviews 

- on 06/21/2014 

I am deeply perturbed and concerned at the large scale violence unleashed on members of the Muslim community last weekend (15th June 2014), in the Aluthgama, Beruwala, Dharga Town, Walpitiya and Welipenna areas. My thoughts and prayers are with all those affected in their time of sorrow. This violence was wholly avoidable; that it was allowed to happen brings us shame as a country and as Sri Lankans.

God is especially concerned for the victims of this world. Therefore, in the grace of God I express solidarity with all those who have suffered from the violence, and especially with our fellow Muslim countrymen who have been thrown into a climate of uncertainty and fear. Many Christians across the country have also been the target of violence in the past and can empathize today with the targeted victimisation of the Muslims in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka is home to different communities who have co-existed for centuries, all of whom have partnered in the country’s development and must be allowed to enjoy the right to security and dignity as equal citizens of a united Sri Lanka.

This right is directly and critically dependent on the genuine commitment of the relevant authorities to take honest steps to prevent the denigration of any community by any other. If the law enforcement and security apparatus is prevented from acting in a timely and effective manner to protect any community from attacks, that apparatus will lose its credibility and the confidence of the citizenry. That can in turn, lead to a dangerous escalation of violence.

It is a cornerstone of genuine democracy and the right of every citizen not to suffer attacks on the basis of religious affiliation or worship. In fact, the life of Gauthama Buddha exemplified that respect for the religions of others, and it is a core tenet of Buddhist philosophy. Hence, it is deeply regretful to see the utter abandonment and denial of this important basic right being propounded in the name of Buddhism.

I call upon true adherents and leaders of the Buddhist community and all other communities regardless of religious, political or other affiliation to unequivocally demand that the extremist perpetrators of the attacks face due justice and that meaningful and effective steps be taken to prevent the recurrence and facilitation of such atrocities in the name of religion.

I call upon the Christians of Sri Lanka to uphold in prayer, to assist and to support all targets of religious and communal hatred. Let us pray especially for the families of those killed and injured. I also call on Christians to pray every day that God would enable wise and inclusive leadership in our country that would permit all our citizens to secure real justice and enjoy the full complement of their rights as Sri Lankans, without oppression, persecution and fear.

Hatred begets more hatred, on account of which our country has already suffered enough. In the name of Jesus Christ, and together with all the Christians in Sri Lanka, I say, “enough”.

Sanjeewa Bandara and 2 university students arrested

June 21, 2014 

Three university students including the former Convenor of the Inter University Students Federation (IUSF) Sanjeewa Bandara have been arrested by police for allegedly threatening and obstructing the duties of security guards at the Peradeniya University premises. 

The former IUSF Convenor and 2 members of two student unions at the Peradeniya University have been arrested by Peradeniya Police, the police spokesman’s office said. 

They have been remanded until June 23 after being produced at the Kandy Court. 

Soldier arrested for raping mentally challenged girl

June 20, 2014 

A Sri Lanka Army soldier has been arrested today on charges of raping a 15-year-old mentally handicapped female student, Mundalama Police said. 

The soldier, attached to the Engineering Corps, was arrested at around 1.30am this morning. 

The suspect had committed the crime on Thursday (19) evening at a byroad in Nawadankulama, in the Mundalama Polcie Division, according to a complaint filed by the victim’s mother. 

A resident of Nagola in Gampola, he is currently serving at the SLA Engineering Corps camp in Naldura-Panadura and had arrived in Mundalama for the construction of a residence for a disabled soldier, funded by the army.

However, the victim has been admitted to the Mundalama Hospital for a medical check while the suspect is to be produced at the Puttalam District Court. 

Mundalama Police are conducting further investigations. 

HC condones delay in ‘re-presenting’ revision plea of Douglas

June 19, 2014

Madras High court today condoned the delay of 536 days in ‘re-presenting’ the revision plea of Sri Lankan Minister Douglas Devananda against a lower court order which quashed his plea to recall a non-bailable warrant and permit him to attend court proceedings through video conferencing. 

Justice T S Sivagnanam condoned the delay and posted the matter to next week. 

Devananda was declared a proclaimed offender and absconding accused by a sessions court for a shootout-cum- murder in Chennai in 1986. 

In November 1986, Devananda, then a member of the Eelam People’s Revolutionary Front in Sri Lanka, and nine others were charged with opening fire with automatic weapons at locals in Choolaimedu in central Chennai, injuring five persons. 

One person later succumbed to his injuries. Devananda and others were charged with murder, attempt to murder, rioting and unlawful assembly in the case. 

As Devananada failed to appear in court proceedings, the trial court in June 1994 issued a NBW. He moved the High Court in 2010 against the trial’s court order but his plea was dismissed. 

He approached the trial court for recalling the warrant and dispensing with his appearance after his plea for anticipatory bail too was dismissed as withdrawn. This was dismissed in October 2012. 

When the case came up today, counsel for Devananada submitted a petition saying though Devanananda had asked the counsel to immediately file a revision petition, “The revision paper was mixed with other case papers and now only the same is traced.” 

Stating that the delay was neither wilful nor wanton, he asked the court to condone the delay because it occurred because of “bonafide” reasons. - PTI

ரிசானா நபீக்கின் பெற்றோருக்கு போலி காசோலையை வழங்கிய அமைச்சர்

[ சனிக்கிழமை, 21 யூன் 2014, 09:25.41 AM GMT ]

சவூதி அரேபியாவில் மரண தண்டனை நிறைவேற்றப்பட்டு உயிரிழந்த ரிசானா நபீக்கின் பெற்றோருக்கு அமைச்சர் ஒருவர் வழங்கிய காசோலை போலியானது என தெரியவந்துள்ளது.

அரசாங்கத்தின் அமைச்சர் ஒருவர் மூன்று லட்சம் ரூபா பெறுதியான காசோலை ஒன்றை வழங்கியதாகவும் அது போலியானது என ரிசானாவின் தந்தையான மொஹமட் சுல்தான் நபீக் தெரிவித்துள்ளார்.

அதேவேளை தமது மகளின் பெயரை பயன்படுத்தி சில நபர்கள் பணத்தை சம்பாதித்து வருவதாகவும் அவர் சுட்டிக்காட்டியுள்ளார்.

இதனை அவர்கள் நல்லெண்ணத்திலா அல்லது கெட்ட எண்ணத்திலா செய்கின்றனர் என்பதை தான் அறியவில்லை எனவும் விறகு வெட்டி விற்பனை செய்தே தான் குடும்பத்தை பராமரித்து வருவதாகவும் சுல்தான் நபீக் குறிப்பிட்டுள்ளார்.

JHU Wants Govt To Take Immediate Legal Action Against Muslim Hartal

JJune 21, 2014

Buddhist hardline group Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) has called on the government to take legal action against the hartal campaigns carried out islandwide by Muslims in protest of the anti-Muslim violence that erupted in Southern Sri Lanka.

JHU Media Spokesman Nishantha Sri Warnasinghe has released a media statement, calling for immediate action to be taken against the hartal campaigns and its organisers as they are clear threats to maintaining peace and harmony in the country.

“Double standards are being clearly applied with concern to implementing the law for Sinhala Buddhists and Muslims. Following the Aluthgamaincident, subsequent rallies organized by Sinhala Buddhists in Mawanella, Badulla, Ruwanwella and Mahiyangana were cancelled by the law enforcement authorities claiming it was to prevent the violence from spreading further, but they have deliberately turned a blind eye on the hartal campaigns led by Muslim extremists,” he says.

In his statement, Warnasinghe has gone on to question whether the Sharia law has trumped the state law in Sri Lanka.

“Muslim extremists who have inflicted harm upon the Sinhala Buddhists have managed to escape the law. This raises doubts on whether the state law no longer applies to these Muslim extremists,” his statement read.

Ukraine's Poroshenko declares week-long ceasefire, warns rebels

Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko walks at the military camp near the town of Svyatogorsk in Eastern Ukraine, June 20, 2014.

BY RICHARD BALMFORTH-KIEV Sat Jun 21, 2014
In Moscow, the Kremlin, whose support Poroshenko needs for his plan to end the insurgency in the rebellious east, denounced the ceasefire as an ultimatum to separatists rather than a peace offering.(Reuters) - Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on Friday ordered a seven-day ceasefire in the fight against pro-Russian separatists, but also warned them they could face death if they did not use the time to put down their guns.

Ukraine's Poroshenko Declares Week-long Ceasefire, Warns Rebels by nelvely

Iraq militants take border post after heavy fighting

SATURDAY 21 JUNE 2014

Sunni militants seize an Iraqi crossing on the border with Syria after a day-long battle in which they killed some 30 Iraqi troops, security officials claim.

The militants, led by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Isil), first moved into the nearby town of al-Qaim on Friday, pushing out security forces, the sources said.

Once border guards heard that al-Qaim had fallen, they left their posts and militants moved in, the sources said.

Sameer al-Shwiali, media adviser to the commander of Iraq's anti-terrorist squad, told Reuters that the Iraqi army was still in control of al-Qaim.

Al-Qaim and its neighbouring Syrian counterpart Albukamal are on a strategic supply route.

A three-year civil war in Syria has left most of eastern Syria in the hands of Sunni militants, including the Albukamal-Qaim crossing.

The Albukamal gate is run by al-Qaeda's official Syria branch, the Nusra Front, which has clashed with Isil but has also agreed to localised truces when it suits both sides.

Move quickly to Syria side

The head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group, Rami Abdulrahman, said Isil has pushed the Nusra Front out from many areas of eastern Syria in the past few days and their capture of al-Qaim will allow them to quickly move to the Syrian side.

Isil already controls territory around the Abukamal gate, effectively pinching the Nusra front between its forces in Syria and those in neighbouring Iraq, said Abdulrahman, who tracks the violence.

Isil, an offshoot of al Qaeda, has captured swathes of territory in northwest and central Iraq, including the second city, Mosul.

They have seized large amounts of weaponry from the fleeing Iraqi army and looted banks.

The fighting has divided Iraq along sectarian lines.

The Kurds have expanded their zone in the northeast to include the oil city of Kirkuk, which they regard as part of Kurdistan, while Sunnis have taken ground in the west.

Obama offers special forces advisers

The Shi'ite-led government has mobilised militia to send volunteers to the front lines.

President Barack Obama has offered up to 300 U.S. special forces advisers to help the Iraqi government recapture territory seized by Isil and other Sunni armed groups across northern and western Iraq.

But he has held off granting a request for air strikes to protect the government and renewed a call for Iraq's long-serving Shi'ite prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki, to do more to overcome sectarian divisions that have fuelled resentment among the Sunni minority.

In Baghdad's Shi'ite slum of Sadr City, thousands of fighters wearing military fatigues marched through the streets.

They carried rocket-propelled grenades, semi-automatic rifles and trucks had mounted long-range rockets, including the new three-metre "Muqtada 1" missile, namedafter Shi'ite cleric Muqtada Sadr, who has tens of thousands of followers.

Sadr has yet to throw his fighters into the recent wave of fighting but has criticised Maliki for mishandling the crisis.

"These brigades are sending a message of peace. They are the brigades of peace. They are ready to sacrifice their souls and blood for the sake of defending Iraq and its generous people," a man on a podium said as the troops marched by.

A Democracy Made of Straw

Vice President Joe Biden always had a clear idea of America's exit strategy in Iraq. 

• BY JAMES TRAUB-JUNE 20, 2014

President Barack Obama gave Biden the vexed Iraq portfolio in mid-2009, and when I flew with the vice president to Baghdad that summer, he explained to me that Iraq's sectarian leaders were, at the end of the day, politicians, like him, and faced the quandaries all politicians face.

A Democracy Made of Straw by nelvely

More than 400 U.S. drones have crashed since ’01, hitting homes, roads

June 21, 2014

More than 400 large U.S. military drones have crashed in major accidents around the world since 2001, a record of calamity that exposes the potential dangers of throwing open American skies to drone traffic, according to a year-long Washington Post investigation.

More Than 400 U.S. Drones Have Crashed Since ’01, Hitting Homes, Roads by nelvely

Video: Muslim Owned “NOLIMIT” Fire

June 21, 2014

The flagship store of the countrys largest Muslim clothing chain “NOLIMIT” Panadura is currently in flames allegedly after a mob set fire to it early this morning. Police now says it was  an internal electrical fire.

The clothing chain was identified and repeatedly attacked by the Bodu Bala Sena in successive speeches made by its General Secretary, Galagoda Atte Gnanasara who enjoys complete immunity from the law.

Dinouk Colombage @Dinoukc

Follow

This motorcycle was burnt outside the store, GM of store asks how could internal electrical fire cause this #lka

1:01 AM - 21 Jun 2014                                    Related stories;

Sri Lanka’s Largest Muslim Owned “NOLIMIT” Panadura Currently In Flames

June 21, 2014

The flagship store of the countrys largest Muslim clothing chain “NOLIMIT” Panadura is currently in flames allegedly after a mob set fire to it early this morning.

Four fire brigade trucks are currently attempting to douse the fire, but according the eye witnesses, are failing due to the sheer magnitude of the fire.

The building situated in the Panadura town is the largest clothing store in the area and the largest NOLIMIT outlet in the country.

The clothing chain was identified and repeatedly attacked by the Bodu Bala Sena in successive speeches made by its General Secretary, Galagoda Atte Gnanasara who enjoys complete immunity from the law.

Related stories;

Reconciliation Is Happening

| by Gajalakshmi Paramasivam

( June 20, 2014, Melbourne, Sri Lanka Guardian) I felt deeply moved by the report ‘Dhamma, the Dickwella way!’ published in the Sri Lanka Guardian.

Reconciliation is Happening by nelvely

UN, US Officials in Lanka Ahead of Rights Probe

By PK Balachandran- 20th June 2014 

COLOMBO: The UN Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs, Oscar Fernandez Taranco, and the US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia, Atul Keshap, are currently in Sri Lanka talking to high officials and ministers on the political and human rights situation in the island nation ahead of a UN probe into rights violations and alleged war crimes committed by the Lankan government forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) during and after Eelam War IV.

UN assistant secretary general for political affairs Oscar Fernandez Taranco, and (right) US deputy assistant secretary of State for South Asia Atul Keshap

Officials sources said that Taranco had sought a meeting with President Mahinda Rajapaksa but that is yet to be granted. He has however been allowed to meet  Defense Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the Minister of External Affairs G L Peiris and leaders of political parties including the Tamil National Alliance (TNA).  Taranco is expected to pay a visit to Jaffna to meet the Northern Province Governor Maj Gen Chandrasiri  and Chief Minister C V Wigneswaran.

UN sources said that Taranco has had meetings since morning on Thursday. But no details were divulged. The US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, Kashap, met the TNA leaders in Colombo.

Briefing Express on the meeting, TNA’s spokesman Suresh Premachandran said that the party pointed out to Keshap that it would be very difficult for civilians to give evidence before the UN probe team in the light of the fact that the government spokesman, Keheliya Rambukwella , had openly told the media that those who testified before the panel would be “dealt with”. This warning posed a severe threat given the absence of a Witness Protection Law in Sri Lanka, the TNA delegation pointed out.

The TNA delegation also said that many of the war displaced civilians are unable to get their lands back on account of the seizure of these lands by the Lankan military.

Though the communal tension in the Beruwela-Aluthgama area of Kalutara district was much less on Thursday following the deployment of the military and the arrest of more than 40 persons, the District Administration had ordered the closure of all schools in Beruwela on Friday.

Muslims in various parts of Colombo observed a hartal by closing their shops in protest against the riots in Kalutara district since June 15 in which at least two Muslims were killed.

GTF ready to assist OHCHR probe

Friday, June 20, 2014

With the outgoing UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay confirming that her office has put together a team to investigate allegations over the war in Sri Lanka, the role of the Tamil Diaspora will be also in the spotlight.

Suren Surendiran, the spokesman for the Global Tamil Forum (GTF), an influential Tamil lobby group based in London expressed his views on the investigation.

By Easwaran Rutnam

Q:  Does the GTF has any plans on assisting the OHCHR probe on Sri Lanka by providing information or any form of evidence related to the war? 

GTF Ready to Assist OHCHR Probe by nelvely

Cyber War Against Govt Websites; In Protest Of Govt. Inaction To Anti-Muslim Violence

June 20, 2014

A group of hacktivists that identify themselves as ‘Operation Sri Lanka’ claims to have made continued cyber attacks on several the official government websites including that of the Sri Lankan High Commission in UK, in protest of the government’s inaction to the anti-Muslim violence that erupted in the island nation.

‘Operation Sri Lanka’ group made the announcements of the cyber-attacks from their Twitter Handle @OpSriLanka, tweeting:

❖OPERATION SRILANKA @OpSriLanka -

UK #Srilanka n High Commission Website Hacked: http://www.srilankahighcommission.co.uk  Expect us!

The website of the Sri Lankan High Commission in UK has been taken down and remains offline at the time of writing. Several other government websites have similarly been knocked down by the spate of cyber attacks.

The group had also hacked the website of Buddhist extremist group Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) as well as the Government Information Center.

Last evening their Twitter handle announced:

❖OPERATION SRILANKA @OpSriLanka

Government Information Center #Srilanka #TangoDown http://www.gic.gov.lk

The hackers have also released login credentials including email addresses, passwords for several government agencies of over 340 Sri Lankan government sites. The information that was leaked on Pastebin – a web application used to store texts especially by programmers, it read – ‘Sri Lanka Government leak for doing nothing to stop extremists attacking Muslims in Sri Lanka!’

Among the sites of which the login credentials were leaked were Department of Immigration and Emigration, Department of Police and the Prime Minister’s Office.

SL 105 in Peace Index

THURSDAY, 19 JUNE 2014

Sri Lanka was ranked 105 among the 162 countries in the Global Peace Index, 2014 put out by the Institute for Economics and Peace. Sri Lanka was ranked 110 last year.

According to the report Sri Lanka was ranked 4th in South Asia whereas India was ranked 5. Indian was ranked 143 in the global ranking.

Sri Lanka is the only country to go against the trend, mainly because of its improvement due to the cessation of the civil war, which brought it down from a high base of violence, the report said.

“The report indicated that the world had become less peaceful each year since 2008, according to 2014′s Global Peace Index (GPI).

The report said:

“The continued conflict in Syria, deteriorating situation in Ukraine and civil war in South Sudan helped contribute to the trend.

“The ongoing civil war in Syria has made it into the world’s least peaceful nation, with the country dropping below Afghanistan who held the spot last year.

“The top five most peaceful nations were completely unchanged from the previous year’s study, with Denmark, Austria, New Zealand and Switzerland again runners up to Iceland. Europe remained the most peaceful region as a whole although the United Kingdom ranked 47th, France 48th and Turkey 128th.

“As well as Syria, Afghanistan and South Sudan, the other nations in the bottom five for peacefulness were Iraq and Somalia.”

A dangerous road in Sri Lanka

EDITORIAL-June 20, 2014

Anti-Muslim violence in what were once idyllic tourist spots on the southern Sri Lankan coast has once again underscored the majoritarianism that has dominated the politics of the country since the end of the war against the LTTE in 2009. Four people were killed and scores injured, and houses and businesses looted and burnt over two days. The violence, clearly instigated by a recently formed extremist Buddhist organisation called the Bodu Bala Sena, affected the seaside towns of Aluthgama and Beruwala. It was serious enough for the government to declare a curfew and call out the Army and a special police force to maintain the peace, perhaps for the first time in that part of the country since the violent JVP insurrection of the 1980s. But for over two years, the Sri Lankan government had chosen to ignore the provocative activities of the BBS, doing nothing to rein it in despite a body of evidence that the group was involved in previous incidents targeting mainly the Muslim minority, and also Christians. Instead, both President Mahinda Rajapaksa and his powerful brother, Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa, visited the office of the BBS on separate occasions, signalling powerful patronage and giving it a stamp of legitimacy. Anti-Muslim tension had been brewing in Aluthgama ever since an altercation between three Muslim men and a Buddhist monk last week. Many sensible voices in the area, and in Sri Lanka’s wider civil society, pleaded against permitting the BBS to hold a rally there on June 15. Their fears came true as the violence began immediately after a particularly provocative anti-minority speech by a Buddhist monk. Armed policemen who were deployed at the rally did hardly anything to bring the situation under control.

Having recently emerged from a long war and still mired in a host of issues relating to that conflict, including the unsettled question of Tamil political aspirations that first gave rise to it, Sri Lanka could have done far better with the opportunity it had to remake itself. Instead, the narrow political ambitions of its leaders to consolidate majority sentiment seem to be driving the Sinhala nationalist desire for new enemies. Already on watch by the world for his handling of post-war Tamil issues, President Rajapaksa is once again on the mat for being stand-offish while another minority was being targeted. Since then, he has visited the affected areas and promised compensation. But no formal condemnation of the violence, or of those behind it, has been forthcoming from the government. There is still time to nip this in the bud, but for that the President will have to do more than merely send out messages on social media that ‘we can’t let anyone harm any person or property.’

Gota Has Direct Involvement With The BBS – Nimalka Tells UNHRC

June 20, 2014

“It is shocking to note that the Government, which was able to deploy the armed forces against the unarmed villagers to safeguard the interest of a corporate entity during the Rathupaswala incident, did not take any emergency measure to protect the Muslims with the same sense of urgency. The recently established special police unit aimed to deal with religious clashes is only a cosmetic measure to appease the international community.” one of the IMADR staff member said on behalf of its president, Dr Nimalka Fernando today.

Dr.Nimalka Fernando

The International Movement Against All Forms Of Discrimination And Racism, said in its oral submission to the 26th session of the Human Rights Council said; “BBS has carried out attacks against mosques and business establishments of Muslims and intensified its campaign against other religious communities including Christians. Government high officials, especially the Defence Secretary, have been directly involved in supporting the BBS through participating in their public events.”

We publish below her submission in full;

Thank you Mr. President,

We strongly condemn the violence unleashed in South Western Sri Lanka which resulted in the death of 3 persons and the serious injury of approximately 80 people. It is outrageous that the Government of Sri Lanka ignored our appeals over the past year and allowed the Bodu Bala Sena(BBS) to continue to operate committing hate crimes against Muslims and Christians. In her report to the Council last March, The High Commissioner referred to the emergence of religious extremism and urged the Government to take measures against hate speech and such intolerance. Unfortunately, some member States dismissed our calls by categorising these incidents as sporadic violence.

IMADR, together with other civil society organisations, have consistently taken the position that the failure of the Government to facilitate an environment towards reconciliation and lasting peace based on the LLRCrecommendations would lead to intensified tensions again. We have called the Government to take actions against the BBS and promulgate laws to deal with their hate speech and violent activities. BBS has carried out attacks against mosques and business establishments of Muslims and intensified its campaign against other religious communities including Christians. Government high officials, especially the Defence Secretary, have been directly involved in supporting the BBS through participating in their public events.

It is shocking to note that the Government, which was able to deploy the armed forces against the unarmed villagers to safeguard the interest of a corporate entity during the Rathupaswala incident, did not take any emergency measure to protect the Muslims with the same sense of urgency. The recently established special police unit aimed to deal with religious clashes is only a cosmetic measure to appease the international community.

We insist that the Government of Sri Lanka investigates the heinous acts immediately and adopt measures to prevent the repetition of such violence. We call upon the international community to support the human rights defenders in Sri Lanka who are working against religious extremism and assisting victims to achieve justice. We also believe that this is an opportunity for all the Council member States to ensure the effective implementation of the resolution on “Promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka” (A/HRC/25/L.1/Rev.1).

Thank you Mr. President.