19 March, 2024

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Aluthgama Riots: Meticulously Planned And Executed To Military Precision

By Latheef Farook

Latheef Farook

Latheef Farook

Killing of Muslims, Looting Their Belongings And The Destruction Of Their Properties

The unwanted and unnecessary attack was mayhem of an unprecedented scale in and around Aluthgama which later spread to Dharga town  and Beruwala following the highly inflammatory speech by Sinhala racist outfit Bodu Bala Sena’s General Secretary  Ven. Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thero, the Buddhist Zionist who is hell bent on shedding Muslim blood.

These unfortunate  killings, injury, indiscriminate burning of  residential and commercial properties,  looting of personal belongings and arson on the  Muslim population  were  not something unexpected when  Gnanasara Thero, was allowed to address a gathering of  his extremist  supporters.

Allowing him to address such a gathering in this communally tense environment was catastrophic.

Muslims in the  area spent sleepless nights  ever since they came to know that Gnanasara Thero, who does not represent mainstream Sinhalese Buddhists, was to address a public meeting as they were aware of his ability to incite innocent Sinhalese.

As expected he addressed the gathering, incited the Sinhalese, went on a provocative procession in the Muslim area and triggered the attack on Muslims leading to death and destruction for no rhyme or reason.

These senseless slaughter of innocent Muslims  were part of BBS’ ongoing anti Muslim campaign to destroy their economic base, deprive them of their livelihood and make them paupers.

This has nothing to do with the Sinhalese community as a whole, but the work of few hundred BBS racists who are hell bent on causing havoc in the country, destroying communal harmony with the overt and covert state patronage.

As everyone knows there has been tension in Aluthgama ever since 27 April 2014 when Ahmad Khan’s shop,  built by brick since his early days of pavement business,  was burnt and his life time earnings reduced to ashes  in the early  hours, around  3.30, on 29  April 2014 allegedly by his business rivals.

How would have been his feelings to see his building and business going up in flames?

In its wake on June 12 there was a minor   incident involving the driver of a Buddhist monk and a Muslim. The monk is said to have interfered and the matter ended there. However, later the monk, perhaps under pressure from some people, lodged a complaint with the police accusing the Muslim man. Police had failed to record the statement of any Muslim in the area.

Aluthgama attackIn another incident a stone was believed to have been thrown at the house of a well known lady doctor in Aluthgama.A group of people pressurized her to complain to the police as this is work of Muslims. Lady doctor refused. In an earlier incident a Sinhala lady had slapped a Buddhist monk at a police station .But the BBS did nothing about it.

Thus telling blatant lies about Muslims is part of the BBS agenda.

In keeping with this low down methods there was a protest over this incident to provoke the Sinhalese. They created a volatile atmosphere. They even attacked the vehicle of Minister Kumara Welgama who rushed to the scene to diffuse the situation.

The police had to use tear gas to bring the situation under control.

It is under such tense and volatile atmosphere that the BBS extremists were allowed to hold a rally addressed by Gnanasara Thero. As rightly asked by journalist Darishta Bastian “What kind of Government that permits Buddhist hardliners to rally in a town where ethnic tension raged only two days ago?”

After the inciting speech, BBS went on a procession in a vehicle convoy to Dharga Town   apparently to provoke the Muslims.

With the situation deteriorating a police curfew was imposed around 6.45 PM on Sunday 15 June 2014 in and around Aluthgama. The curfew trapped Muslims wherever they were .They could not move out. However it was during the curfew hours that the BBS thugs who entered the area from inner roads and appeared to have had a free hand , attacked and set ablaze residential and commercial buildings.

When the Muslim men tried to get out and save these properties they were prevented from doing so as curfew was enforced. However Sinhala mob was seen around the streets and they were also seen going around in vehicles.

Around 9 PM six houses, four belonging to one family and one of them owned by a retired principal, were set on fire at Adikarrigoda.

In panic they repeatedly contacted the emergency 119. No response.

They contacted the police-No response-

They contacted the fire brigade .No response.

Now whom to complain? None

“There is no law or protection for the Muslims in this country” said weeping owner of one of these buildings.

There was fear and panic all over.

It was during curfew hours attacking Muslim owned houses and business establishments continued throughout the night, and by morning, people informed that around 20 houses and business establishments were burnt and destroyed. They also included Buddhist monks burnt and destroyed a Muslim owned shopping complex also.

In Aluthgama all Muslim business establishments in Muslim owned buildings were gutted down while Muslim owned businesses in Sinhalese owned buildings remained intact. A shopping complex belonging to a Muslim businessman in Dharga Town Aluthgama was torched early   morning by a mob of around 200 people which includes Buddhist monks.

According to reports the injured stood at 80. Later the police sources have claimed that three people were killed and the 55 Muslims injured were admitted to various hospitals.

Injured in Walapitiya could not get to hospital. They began calling people in Colombo begging for help, especially medicine, and transport. Around six in the morning there were desperate calls asking for medicine to treat the injured in the mob and the STF shootings. Medicines and ambulances were ready but were not allowed to enter due to curfew which continued.

Muslims complained that the STF is strictly keeping them indoors and prevents them from coming even to their gates while the mobs were allowed to freely move and even drive vehicles. They also complained that the mob attacked Muslims when the STF leave an area. The STF was often seen returning after the destruction was done.

However Muslims in the area were depressed that their livelihood was destroyed for no   reason.”They attacked our shops and hit our stomachs. They finished the Muslims of Aluthgama last night” said a trader.

In one voice they also said those who attacked them were not from the area but people brought outside. It is worthy to note that attacks on other places too were done by outsiders and not by the people from the area.

This pauses a question whether the BBS is having a trained force to implement its evil agenda against Muslims. There were even speculations that Israel’s Mossad trained Sinhala extremists thugs are here to do this dirty job.

Even early in the morning on Monday 16 April a resident in Mahagoda, Beruwala, complained that mobs continue to attack and vandalize shops. They decided to remain indoors with their families with the lights off.

Families who came under attacks found shelter in mosques and with relatives .In the melee a lady died at Naleemia Institute died. She tried to escape with her husband and three children. In the process her husband was cut .On seeing that she collapsed and died leaving her husband and   three children in lurch.

Exploiting the chaos the mob looted all belongings including jewellery and emptied Muslim owned houses vacated by people who fled to for safety.

In short the area is burning since last night and the frightened people continue to live in mosques and other such places. Generous Muslims in Colombo continue to rush emergency aids for the victims.

This carnage did not occur at the spur of the moment. It was very meticulously planned and executed to military precision.

Condemning the attack the United States Embassy in Colombo said in a statement that; “We urge the government to ensure that order is preserved and the lives of all citizens, places of worship, and property are protected.   We urge the authorities to investigate these attacks and bring those responsible to justice. We also urge all sides to refrain from violence, exercise restraint, and respect the rule of law.”

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Latest comments

  • 13
    2

    Latheef,

    No point appealing to the Mara brothers. They are the ones who created this situation. Any appeal must be addressed to people overseas. Ultimately salvation to Sri Lankan Muslims, or for that matter the Tamils or for that matter Christians and all other minority groups must and will come only from overseas. The bloodthirsty Sinhala Buddhist majority could never and will never reform themselves.

    I hold the MR clan responsible for these horrible events. BBS is the brainchild of Gotabhaya, originally financed by him and subsequently financed by shadowy anti-Muslim organisations in Norway and the US. All deaths and destruction should be on the head of Gotabhaya and through complicity on all murderous Rajapaksa brothers. The Sinhala Buddhists did it to the Tamils in 1983 and now the Muslims are the scapegoats to the blood lust. Blood lust is inherent in the Sinhala psyche.

    • 6
      1

      Why are Muslim Ministers and MPs (and Tamils too) still in the govt side?

      • 3
        0

        david,why shoudn’t they?Their houses have not been attacked yet.

        At the right time they will resign.Timing is everything in politics.

  • 9
    2

    The Regime needs this anti-Muslim violence and therefore sustains, permits and directs the BBS. The purpose is three fold:

    1) To hopefully gain the sympathy of Modi who in the past had an anti-Muslim stance: i.e. trying to be ‘birds of a feather’ and thus flock together

    2) Provoke even a small number of Muslims to take up arms with the hope of labeling them as Al-Qaeda and thus cosy up to the US

    3) Keep the Nation in a constant embattled ‘state of war’ mind-set so as to keep people’s minds and social discourse focused away from the daylight robbery taking place in all areas of governance and other matters such as the cost of living and the collapsing education and health care systems. This is a tried and tested means used by many regimes from Saddam Hussein to Gaddhafi.

  • 3
    3

    My understanding is that there is an overwhelming majority – almost total agreement – on the need to ensure that “minorities know their place and keep to it” and that state power must be dedicated to ensuring that minorities do not “exceed their limits as minorities”.

    State power is used to treat minorities as the aggressors while treating the majority as the aggrieved party, which is given free hand to “defend itself” by “redressing perceived imbalances”.

    If you are a member of a minority community and you are attacked by a Sinhala Buddhist or a Sinhala Buddhist mob and you choose to fight off your attackers then the police will arrest you and charge you with having attacked your attackers.

    This has been a trend since 1983 and possibly earlier.

    This amounts to official policy and has to be EXPOSED and brought into the consciousness of both the majority as well as the minorities and placed before them with the question “is this the way you want to go and if so is it just, moral and ethical and something that you expect the rest of the world to welcome and accept”.

  • 3
    1

    Hi, All.
    This is the result of the Rajapaksha governing style. Innocence Tamils, Muslims and Christians are victimizing by force.This is the true nature of Sinhala Buddhist nation for the last 65 years.Sri lanka will never learn lessons from its history, rather leading to further escalating. Rajapaksha brothers doesn’t know democratic values, rather they are vultures. We appeal to the U.N.or other international community ,to continue to put pressure on sri lanka.

  • 3
    0

    It is a dangerous move by the government to let BBS to raise its ugly violent head to cause fear and uncertainty among the minority communities of Sri Lanka. IT is very unfortunate that the government didn’t do anything to halt BBS from continuing its anti-Muslim and anti-Christian propaganda though the BBS publicly incited violent against minorities in many parts of Sri Lanka. If the government doesn’t do anything to stop BBS and its violent approaches, one day it will lead the Island into a disastrous end.

  • 2
    5

    why can’t sinhalese buddhists have a rally in Aluthgama? should we be afraid of [Edited out] muslims..

    muslims provocated sinhalese and now this fool as usual is trying to get sympathy

    • 0
      0

      Balu Kela Kolla, shut your filthy mouth. [Edited out]

      • 0
        1

        navin fool, you’d better go and sleep with muslims in a mosque

  • 4
    1

    Latheef Farook is a well recognized journalist. His sentiments as a Muslim on the Aluthgama are extremely valid. Even non-Muslims would agree with him. I personally appreciate his column EXCEPT for the use of the words “Buddhist Zionist” in the first paragraph. There could be two reasons for this comment of his.
    1. Latheef Farook does not know the meaning of the word “Zionist.” Let me enlighten him with a quote from Wikipedia; “Zionism (Hebrew: צִיּוֹנוּת, translit. Tsiyonut) is the national movement of Jews and Jewish culture that supports the creation of a Jewish homeland in the territory defined as the Land of Israel.” ZIONISM HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH BUDDHISTS!
    2. Latheef Farook is using his racist attitude towards the Jewish people at every given opportunity.

    • 1
      0

      The Radical Buddhist Bhikkus are following the foot steps of Zionism.

      All Zionists are Jews, not all Jews are Zionists and all Zionists are Devil worshippers. These “Satanic Zionists” draw their “power” from “satanic icons”, particularly the Semitic/Babylonian deity “Moloch”, the same calf-headed deity. This is also why Zionists observe The Star of Moloch instead of Jewish Star of David.

      A link below on Jews against Zionism

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1y91stnDWoE

  • 4
    0

    Well done Latheeff for giving a detailed factual account that is at the same time a devastating indictment of the Government. This article, above all the other articles on the Aluthgama horror, deserves the widest publicity. I am sending it to all my contacts.

  • 2
    1

    Latheef:

    Aluthgama Riots: Meticulously Planned And Executed To Military Precision.

    You dont need to plan anything in Sinhala Lanka as the reaction is spontaneous. All you need to do to let these racist elements run riot is use the word these Tamil & Muslim Bas..rds and the whole nation will rise up.
    In the midst of all this there was a rumour that some Monks were killed and just imagine if it turned out to be true and even if one was killed you would have a blood bath on a scale which would have made NANTHIKADAL look small. Thank Allah for that but this is the begining beacuse MR said that he will not tolerate any attacks by that he meant attack on BBS who are protected under the constitution. I am sure Modi & Jeya are watching.

  • 3
    0

    If this was meticulously planned, in view of Gnanasara’s exhortation for the extermination of the Muslims and the consequent killings of 3 Muslims, the international crime of genocide, defined as the intentional killing of members of an ethnic or religious group, is made out. There is no point in expecting the SL government to act.Numbers do not matter. The killing of even one person would amount to genocide.

    Will the Muslim leaders have the courage to call the killings as genocide so that future events of this sort do not happen? Unlike in the case of the Tamils, they have many Islamic countries which will heed their call.

  • 2
    0

    Does Gnanasara know that he might be in the very final stages of being groomed for a grand act of political Sacrifice? His assassination (allegedly by Muslim extremists) will serve as the perfect detonator to set off the much desired racial violence to justify the need for a “Strong leadership to thwart the last standing Sinhala Buddhist country from being consumed by Islam”. And of course, The Sri Lankan voter is simultaneously being groomed to assume the victim’s position to cast their votes as “The one thing” they could do for survival.

  • 0
    0

    Lateef,
    Its really sad to see what a plight that have fallen for the Muslim community at a whole.

    But., what can you expect from sex maniac Hakeem as the leader of your community? Its high time that all the lebbes from all mosques come forward the denounce a SLMC change in the leadership and let a strong leader like MHM Aashrof emerge again.

    This man who is the minister of Justice cannot do the justice for his own brothern and he is just a puppet of the Rajapaksas.

  • 4
    0

    While condemning the activities of Buddhist extremists, it should not be forgotten that Muslims were not genuine towards other communities. They are still cunning and lying low like a tiger to bounce on innocent people. Muslims have been parties to looting and now it had fallen on them. During Premadasa’s period just imagine how many Muslims wore the Buddhist monks’ robes and participated in protests organized by Premadasa against Lalith Athulathmudali & Gamini Dissnayake.
    First, the introduction of Wahabbism in Sri Lanka paved the way for religious animosity. Acording to Wahabbism Muslims are waging a holy war on behalf of God. If this is the case, then it is submitted that this amounted to hate propaganda. They should have realized that all the people irrespective of any religion, are children of God. Their philosophy tantamount to religious fanaticism.This is one reason why the Indian Peace-Keeping Force razed Kathankudy to the ground.
    Thereafter, during Chandrika Kumaranatunge’s period Ashroff was appointed as the Minister of Port. During Ashroff’s period arms & ammunitions were freely transported to Eastern Province without any checking. Mention should be made that this Ministry was held by Muslims for a long period, during which period several drugs were also smuggled. Pottu Nauffer was the key man in this business with the indirect blessing of Minister Fowzie. It is this Pottu Nauffer who shot dead a Colombo High Court Judge for refusing to grant bail. Yet the Police were reluctant to arrest him, though he was finally arrested. Even inside the prison he was given a 5-star treatment. Just imagine the amount of revenue in trillions that are due to the Sri Lankan government.
    Meanwhile several underworld criminals emerged and were having a free hand in committing crimes. In Colombo, majority of the Three-wheeler drivers are Muslims having links underworld criminals.
    During Rauff Hakim’s period, 22 students from his region alone gained admission to Law College. Mention should be made that the number of Muslim students outnumbered the Sinhalese students.
    It is also alleged that Minister Rauff Hakkim was not charged for the death of Kumari. There is suspicion when it was alleged that Kumari had committed suicide.
    When Rishard Badurdeen was Minister he was instrumental for attacking the Mannar Magistrate Court. He should have been convicted for contempt of court, but no action was taken. Further Rishard Badurdeen’s agents were responsible for assaulting an Engineer when he was engaged in the construction of roads for complying with the requirements of Road Technology in Kilinochchi. Here Rishard Badurdeens agents compelled the engineer to construct the roads according to their requirements, when they have no knowledge of engineering.
    Moreover, Minister Hisbullah who hails from the Eastern Province, was engaged in monitoring the activities of the American Embassy from his Ministerial building.
    All these Ministers have failed to condemn the activities of the Talibans, when they attacked the Twin Tower, London Subway, Mumbai bombings, etc. They failed to realize that these places were homes to several communities. Mention should be made that these Muslim Ministers had been instrumental for collecting funds for Al-Jihad Movement which is operating on various pretexts.
    It should not be forgotten that it is a Muslim who was responsible for issuing National Identity Cards to several person suspected of terrorist activities. It could have been persons from Pakistan & Bangladesh. The recent arrest of a Pakistani national in relation to the bombing at Chennai Railway Station was alleged to have travelled from Sri Lanka. There is also suspicion as to the number of nationals from Pakistan & Bangladesh in Sri Lanka and whether they belong to the Taliban group.
    Regarding the employment at Middle-East countries, it is the Sinhalese women and girls who have been targeted and their lives have been ruined by the Muslim agents, who even collect the compensation when it is sent to the families when such Sinhalese women & girls (who travel on Muslim names) are dead on account of torture. The Muslims are opportunists because they failed to condemn the death punishment of Rizana when Sinhalese had condemned.
    In the circumstances, any law abiding citizens will think why Sri Lanka should be dragged in such a situation as well as against the Western democratic countries

    • 0
      0

      Citizen,all that may be okay,but why attack innocent muslims for what other members of their community do.In the same vein you may be justifying the july 83 due to the killing of 13 soldiers and the inflammatory retoric of mrs amirthalingam when she said the tamils will make slippers out of the sinhalese skins.

      Let us look at things in its correct perspective.If pottu naufer did something hang him.Why is he not hanged?Is a innocent muslim family in aluthgama responsible for the fact that the justice system failed.

      Don’t be a racist and tarnish an entire community for what certain individuals do.This is what you call uneducated mob mentality and you are supposed to be an educated person aren’t you.

      In future my advice to srilankans is whenever someone breaks the law,don’t look at whether they are sinhalese,tamils or muslims,just apply the law as it is meant to be done and and about 80% of these ethnic problems will dissapear automatically.The balance 20% also will dissapear when we start to view out fellow citizens as srilankans and not as sinhalese,tamils or muslims.

      Dear citizen,all the litany of abuses you have mentioned that muslims have done are a governance issue,not a racial one.We have to get the governance of srilanka better and better and automatically many problems will cease.

      So let us in the future focus on governance,not racial issues.When governance becomes better and better racial problems will become less and less.Both are inverse to each other.

      • 0
        0

        Shankar,
        I have criticized the LTTE even. But here is a case of the dishonesty of Muslims. I have witnessed several incidents. The list is very long. Have not the Muslims not participated in the July 1983 riots. It is those Muslims who have looted. Do you know when the Islamic Terrorist Organization in Sri Lanka was discovered or detected, they wanted to murder the particular person. Some Police Officers were aware of this and when they took action, that Sinhalese Police Officer was transferred to Eastern Province. Do you want to deny this. Do you want to deny the transport of arms & ammunitions to Eastern Province which are healthy signs to a united Sri Lanka. Can you tell me why the Muslims celebrated the attack on the Twin Tower by Bin Laden & his companions and they were praising the cowardly act of Bin Laden. Do you know how innocent Tamils were ill-treated by Muslim Officers both in the Police Dept and other Depts. This is Karma. But the Sinhalese will shout on account of emotion for the time being, but immediately they will forget everything & becomes friendly. Even during the July riots several Sinhalese helped the Tamils. The list is long.

        • 0
          0

          citizen

          If muslims participated in the july 83 riots.how many were they?out of two million muslims what percentage participated in the riots?

          In the first place the riots should not have been allowed.That is why i say it is a governance problem,not a racial one.If some muslims participated that is opportunism.even some tamils from the slums may have participated in the looting.When the government allowes a situation like that all riff raff will participate.

          As for transport of arms to east,again it is a governance issue for allowing it and not taking action against those involved.

          As for celebrating the attcks on twin towers,do you know what is happening in palestine and how the jews have grabbed muslim lands and how the US always uses its veto power in the UN to block it from taking any action when the israelis kill palestinians.

          If the US just minds its own business then the muslims won’t celebrate any attcks on the US,but it can’t because of the powerful jewish lobby controlling new york and the president.

          So don’t give a racial connotation on everything and also look at both sides of the coin.Governance issues are the root cause here.

          • 0
            0

            Shankar,
            It is on the issue of governance Muslims committed various crimes and tactics. The activities of the Muslim Officers at the Education Department during Srimavo Bandaranayake’s period will speak a lot of how Tamils were victimized. Just imagine a Mowli being appointed as a Director of Education when there were several deserving cases. Moreover land belonging to the affected Tamils were unjustifiably grabbed on the instruction of Minister Rishard Badurdeen. It is because of the issue of governance, several Bangladeshis & Pakistanis were issued National Identity Cards with which these Islamic Terrorists encroached into India. What would have happened if temples in Tamil Nadu would have been bombed? The Muslims have already damaged several Hindu temples and statutes in the Eastern Province. Just imagine why there were shootings in Kandy when Ratwatte was contesting. Now the main culprit is languishing in jail. Recently Justice Marsoof gave a controversial judgment regarding the impeachment of former CJ, Dr. (Mrs) Shirani Bandaranayake. There is some reason. The list is very long.
            If not for the US and India, Sri Lanka would have been swallowed by the Islamic terrorists and Sri Lanka would have been another Somalia. It is not a racial connotation. They are an unreliable community.

  • 0
    0

    destructive matters are carefully and meticulously planned by horrible sections of the majority to which majority of the majo. people are not responsible. it is true that majority of them are peace loving but they are totally inarticulate,silent and unable to exercise any influence on the law breakers. consolation is that their non-participation in the riots is a good thing. minorities cannot depend on their goodwill and what they need is state protection.
    -sundaram

  • 1
    0

    Those who sleep with the dogs usually wake up with fleas. Wisdom should have dawned before teaming up.

    • 0
      0

      Agree. Dogs should be pretty nasty. Many of them still asleep. They don’t want to wake up. They think the dog may get upset.

  • 0
    0

    Looks like you woken up. Where were you when this happened to other communities. This is the work of your collaborators. You can still demand your share. Open both eyes when you wake up. Then you will see the whole world.

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