Communal violence in SL again: Sinhala - Muslim riots kill 3

Serious communal violence has broken out in parts of Southern Sri Lanka, leaving three people dead, at least 40 people injured and reports of massive damage to property. Curfew is in force. The tensions between Sinhalese and Muslim groups was reported from the Aluthgama and Beruwala areas of Southern Sri Lanka, and are believed to have occurred following an inflammatory speech by anti-Muslim Sinhalese extremist group the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS), which is ironically made up almost entirely of Buddhist monks. Galagodaaththe Gnanasara, the leader of the group made the speech in the already tense area of Aluthgama, where violent protests had broken out the previous week, following reports that a Muslim man had attacked a monk and several others. According to this report on Sri Lankan website Republic Square, three people had been arrested after the incident, while a minister who visited the area had also been attacked. [caption id=“attachment_1572497” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Gnanasara making his inflammatory speech in ALuthgama: YouTube screengrab[/caption] In the speech, which is available on YouTube, Gnanasara is heard saying that if even one ‘marakkalaya’ (a derogatory Sinhala word for Muslim) so much as laid a hand on a Sinhalese, that it would mean the end of all of them. Lambasting the government for ‘betraying’ the Sinhalese people, he is heard saying that both the government and minorities would do well to remember that Sri Lanka still had a Sinhala police and a Sinhala army - statements that elicited massive cheers from the assembled crowds. “Enough is enough. We haven’t raised our hands ( against them), not because we can’t… its not because we can’t”, he added. He also called for the renaming of Dhargatown in the area. Following the speech, parts of a mob in the procession attempted to stone a mosque in Dhargatown, prompting a retaliatory attack by a Muslim mob, and triggering the violent clashes. Editor of the Republic Square, Dinidu de Alwis, told Firstpost that there was a near media blackout of events in Aluthgama and Beruwala, as there was a desire to ’not spread tension’ in the country. “Initial reportage was as though it was just a fight between two rival gangs”, he said. One of the few detailed reports was in Sri Lanka’s Financial Times newspaper: Over 10 shops in the Dhargatown area in Aluthgama were torched, with police and Special Task Force personnel firing tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the mobs, to no avail. Houses in the Kotapitiya, Meeri Penna and Adhikarigoda areas in Aluthgama were also set on fire, with Muslim residents fleeing their homes to take sanctuary in several mosques in Dhargatown. Some injuries were also reported from Dhargatown, but the reports were unconfirmed at the time of going to press. Several photographers and videographers filming yesterday’s chaotic scenes were assaulted by the mob, reports said. Several hours after the curfew was imposed, the tension in the area continued. Eyewitnesses said the STF was deployed in large numbers and helped to restore some calm in the area. BBC News said, “Eyewitness accounts tell of Muslims being pulled off local buses and beaten. There are also reports of looting”. President Mahinda Rajapaksa who is on a foreign trip to Bolivia to attend the G77 summit tweeted, “The Government will not allow anyone to take the law into their own hands. I urge all parties concerned to act in restraint. An investigation will be held for law to take its course of action to bring to book those responsible for incidents in Aluthgama.” His son Namal also tweeted, “I ask my Sinhala & Muslim brothers & sisters in Aluthgama to stand together. As Sri Lankans, let’s not forget that we’re all the same & we shouldn’t let other forces create differences between us.” Apart from the tweets there has been no other official statement from the government. There has been some speculation that Rajapaksa may cut his trip short and return to the island, although it has not been confirmed yet. The situation has elicited strong reactions and outrage on Sri Lankan social media channels. So much for a country not at war anymore and claiming to be a peaceful nation", read one comment on Facebook, while another read, “I can’t believe this shit is still going on in Sri Lanka. We fought so hard to end the conflict in the north, and have now started turning on ourselves with thuggery and a blind eye by the “leadership” On Twitter, many journalists have taken to tweeting about the incident in the absence of media coverage, and the hashtag #Aluthgama is trending in the country. Here are a few tweets: https://twitter.com/Rizwan_R/status/478384396324446208 https://twitter.com/AzzamAmeen/status/478385316722507776 https://twitter.com/OsaadhiR/status/478379142401232896