28 March, 2024

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Police Say Arsonist Who Torched Muslim-Owned Shops Is BBS Supporter, BBS Denies Links

The police said today that the suspect arrested in connection to several arson attacks on Muslim shops in Nugegoda and Wijerama areas is a resident of Maharagama and has been identified as a member of the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS).

Police Spokesman DIG Priyantha Jayakody said the suspect is a 32 year old man, and he is currently in detention and is being questioned. Another three suspects were arrested on several other charges including for insulting Buddha on social media, and for damaging properties in Danthure.

However, Bodu Bala Sena’s Chief Executive Dilanthe Withanage in a video message issued this evening denied his group’s involvement in any of the attacks against the Muslim community. He claimed there was a ploy to carry out such attacks and blame it on his group. “We are denying these charges, and we have always tried to amicably solve issues and have always told the youth to never take the law into their own hands,” he said.

He said that just because a person came to their meetings, that doesn’t make them responsible for that person’s actions. “If someone who attended a meeting of Ranil Wickremesinghe, Maithripala Sirisena or Mahinda Rajapaksa committed a crime that should not be blamed on them” he said.

Withanage added that today the minorities in Sri Lanka get all their demands met but it is the majority Buddhist community that has to fight for their rights.

He also said that his group had the necessary power and strength to launch terrorism and violence but they chose to find solutions through amicable means. “If BBS wanted to launch extremism, terrorism or violence, we have the necessary power and strength, but we won’t, and even Ven. Gnanasara always tries to find solution to issues through discussions,” Withanage added.

However, despite Withanage’s claim that both his BBS group and Gnanasara have always resorted to finding solutions to issues in an amicable manner, the Colombo Telegraph possess several videos where Gnanasara himself admitted that he was behind the Aluthgama riots in 2014. In another incident in May last year, when a supporter of his group was arrested by the police Gnanasara threatened to launch a blood bath from the Muslim dominated Maligawatte.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) leader Rauff Hakeem who is also a Minister in the coalition government said that an ‘invisible hand’ was directing those responsible for maintaining the law and order in the country. “Those responsible for maintaining the law and order are being directed by an invisible hand,” Hakeem reportedly said at a meeting in Kandy.

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Latest comments

  • 23
    29

    This what Gotabaya Rajapakse also claimed today and it’s like Adolf Hitler claims that he has no connection with Holocaust and the destruction of the Jewish business in Europe.
    What a connection !!!!!!!

    • 27
      24

      Muslims stole their citizenship from ladies man dudley (liked sudu hama) then used the closure of suez, non aligned movement SirMao & Malwatta (like Sudu hama) to rob the country dry of trade, education, and foreign office (the journalist hameed who rode a limousine like riding a camel and dead drunk).

      • 12
        19

        Hoping you are not riding a Donkey dead drunk !!!!

      • 4
        17

        What are you blabbering about as if on speed.

        • 13
          5

          “”What are you blabbering about as if on speed.”
          What are you on about Kala thela Jihadi, guilty conscious pricks a mile- you came in Bad U Din illegal boat to infidel land.
          Dear PM and France say dual nationals go back to where you come from.- go back to Morocco.

          • 4
            0

            donald,

            True, come with me, on my way to Morocco, will drop you in Bangladesh.

    • 2
      5

      If BBS and their men are clean as they prove, why should BBS lead need to live in a hidden manner.

      The message being sent by BBS lead is a threat for the future. If he is clean, he has to cooperate with the police

  • 17
    19

    ” we have always tried to amicably solve issues and have always told the youth to never take the law into their own hands,”

    Like issuing Warnings that they will start their blood bath from Maligawatte, creating disturbances in the Court, serving Ultimatum on the Law Enforcement Authorities, Forcefully Entering Hotels and Disrupting Discussions through Unruly Conduct, etc. etc. are the BBS way of ” amicably solve issues”!!!!!

  • 22
    22

    With all this evidence against the BBS, the police cannot find the monk with a gun??? Can’t the police ransack their office at Thunmulla and arrest the rest???

    We need a new IGP… Time for Pujitha to be sacked for inefficiency and so much more…

    • 16
      7

      Hold on, have you ever heard of “logical fallacies” that lead you to wrong conclusions.

  • 9
    5

    Karma is a B itch!

    “A Buddhist monk had passed away after being attacked by an elephant during a procession held in Katana, yesterday (11). 
    The monk, who was admitted to the Negombo Hospital, succumbed to his injuries earlier this morning (12). “

    • 3
      4

      My deepest sympathy

  • 11
    16

    The BBS should be banned and any saffron robed thug caught inciting, spreading hate and false rumors, that ends up in innocent people being killed, should be disrobed and banned from the clergy. They have caused too much of chaos in the country, have poisoned naive minds about Muslims, that ended up in bloodshed in Aluthgama.

    Why are Maithripala and Ranil silent on this?

    • 8
      9

      Not only BBS any other facist movements should be banned. Regardless of the religion, status or whatever, any violent organisation should be watched out.
      Those who make effort to live up their hatreds by abusing BBS should also be banned. Political groups close to former Leader to run amok on the cost of people should be discussed … Enough is enough… when they stop in colombo, they start in Madakalapuwa usiing that highly abusve Wimalawathi-draama queen in Mangalaramaya. Latter radid dog should be hung by his balls – if he would open his mouth betraying us the buddhists anyfurther.
      These men in robes, calling them as buddhist monks but promoting violence should be given training to reduce their aggression potentials.
      Highly respectable mahanaayaka theros should wake up from their long slumber. The nation needs them right now. We are again in a highly critical situation.

    • 7
      22

      The Buddhist Clergy must have a hierarchy similar to Christian Clergy. If a Christian priest had committed even a fraction of what this pseudo monk Gnanasara Thera had committed, he would have been defrocked a long time ago.

      • 6
        3

        Sylvia Haik ————-“The Buddhist Clergy must have a hierarchy similar to Christian Clergy. ” ————————-You mean the Sinhala/Buddhist Sangha, they chose not to intervene in such matters because they too see the benefit of being biased against the minorities. The only time they come out all guns blazing is whenever the government attempts to secularise the state and rectify the imbalance of power distribution between the majority and minority. The caste based three Sanghas are determined to “see no evil, hear no evil,not to speak out against evil” because they are part of Sinhala/Buddhist fascist movement. They have nothing in common with Buddhism.

        • 2
          4

          Spot on. You couldn’t have said it better. They cannot even help defend each other as they are highly polarized and never see eye to eye on many common issues. So where can anyone expect them (Sangha Council) to collectively raise a voice against indiscipline within their ranks, let alone a runaway monk gone mad. So rather, they will continue in their deep slumber and not lose all their creature comforts provided and maintained at no cost to them. They fear a split if they raise any objection, and so they lie low pretend they know nothing. Another form of tacit support.

    • 14
      7

      How about Thawheed Jamath extremists who attacked a Mosque in Batticaloa? They all should be in jail. —- Muslim extremists going too far. Even the Muslim world is divided over terrorism and extremism. Muslims themselves are now staying away from extremists. —- The world was against Trump’s travel ban on Muslims at the beginning. However, if the situation gets uncontrollable, many other countries will follow suit. Mark my word. They will start strict screening on Muslims and blacklist them for the safety and security of their countries. What will happen is, even good Muslims who are peaceful will also suffer for no reason.

    • 6
      1

      Manel————-By banning the groups whose ideology and activities that we do not approve of will lead to a dangerous intolerant society and probably a one party fascist state. As you rightly pointed out that “any saffron robed thug caught inciting, spreading hate and false rumors, that ends up in innocent people being killed, should be disrobed and banned from the clergy.” for that matter anyone inciting violence and spreading hatred should be arrested and sent to jail. The stupid supporter who is willing to carry out heinous less dangerous than his puppet master. The puppet masters always get away with murder.

  • 3
    8

    CONDITION = “When you get caught, we don’t know each other”

  • 11
    1

    Rishard has threatened that he would go to UNHRC. In the last government also he went UNHRC with the entourage which took with it the Sinhala Supporting Actress. A big money laundering and hotel entertainments too accused in those trips. The new Caliph of war torn Vanni would visit again to Geneva provided Muslims meets the tour package Old King gifted to him. Otherwise he would be contented to take what the Yahapalanaya gives him. Until West’s golaya Yahapalanaya in power, Vanni Caliph would do the threat of going to Geneva. But when Old Royals come back, he would not bother to that, not just because they would provide him what they gave him in the last government, but, in addition to start to threaten him to investigate the 5000 acres land they accused Vanni Caliph has graped in their time, they may bring the Travel bans like in the Attanagalla Queen Sirimavo’s time. The new game of the Vanni Caliph is only a competition with other Caliph one who is saying these all are only some techniques his enemies using to split him and the Yahapalanaya. Basically he simply dismisses the the new BBS Syndrome spreading in the country. These two crooks are mirror images of the Muslim Community of the old UNP-SLFP duals or the current Yahapalanaya – Joint Comedy duals. These have nothing to do with the current problems or foreseeable future problems, the Muslim community would encounter.

    • 0
      0

      Mallaiyuran@ I could not read any comments kept coming from that EDWIN RODRIGO.. anymore.
      What happeend to him ? Did you let him dissappear ?
      Can you please come with any news about him.

      We miss him even if his comments were estranged.

      Why the boy did not turn up ?

  • 0
    1

    This comment was removed by a moderator because it didn’t abide by our Comment policy.For more detail see our Comment policy https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/comments-policy-2/

  • 4
    6

    due to gnanasera we lost the match against pakistan.The ball was popping out of our lads hands.

    innocent muslims have been frightened and their livelihoods lost .God will not give us glory when we bully people like this.very aptly a muslim country deprived us of a semi final berth.

    sirisena is responsible for not remanding that rogue monk who does not follow Lord bhuddha’s teachings.If he had done the right thing we would have won the match.

    • 5
      1

      I agree with you Shankar, very sad to read to some of the racist comments. These nutters wait for problems in the country to make some gain out of it and praise their lord Gnanasara the monster .These sickos will never coexist with other communities.
      Karma will teach better lessons.
      All extremists will rot in hell.

    • 3
      1

      “”due to gnanasera we lost the match against pakistan.The ball was popping out of our lads hands””………………………………………………………………..
      Stupid, You lost because of your secret love of the harem.

  • 6
    1

    All the extremists should be punished. It includes tamil, muslim and Sinhalese. The main reason government does not want to arrest Gnasra thero is that government did not do anything when some tamil and muslim politicians did racial comments and wrong activities. Government will be in big trouble if they arrest Gnasara Thera now. Because the majority Sinhalese is already tired of what happening in the country and the Sinhalese are not happy at all.

    • 1
      1

      charles “The main reason government does not want to arrest Gnasra thero is that government did not do anything when some tamil and muslim politicians did racial comments and wrong activities.”

      I doubt that is the reason.It is because champika ranawaka is protecting him.This fellow and wimal are slimy bastards who have brains and will run with the hare and hunt with the hounds.They know how to play the political game.Individually they are nothing so like a creeper they hang on to some tree,wimal with rajapakshe and champika earlier with rajapakshe and now with ranil.he should be cut loose by the UNP and asked to go it alone at the next elections.As long as that political power hungry bhuddhist monks mole is in the government it will lose the next election and before that he will somersault back to the rajapakshes.Ranil is a born loser and does not see the danger of having radicals wearing a mask around him.

  • 3
    2

    Police can charge the captured man and indict him in courts. If convicted of arson,
    he will divulge names of those who instigated him, and others like him, on promise of lighter sentence.
    Only way to go.

    • 1
      1

      Justice, usually the police use chillie powder an electric shocks to get that information.However with champika ranawake in the govt they can’t do that.

      what about taking him to the place where the arson took place and when he tries to lob a grenade at the police and try to flee the police can shoot him.Just telling him to get ready to go to the place of arson and putting a dud grenade in his pocket should do the trick to make him spill the beans.

  • 0
    0

    We don’t have a platform here to make positive and negative thoughts, if the IGP of the country with a strong backbone, ( Of course without dirty political interference ) if the Sangha Sabha takes immediate actions against the ” extremist monks ” on time.
    Failure will result passing shameful message to the world about the Buddhists leaders in the country. Shame on Buddhist ” Label Leaders”.

    The MP s who got minority community’s votes ( specially Muslim’s votes ) are in the Parliament, still ‘clever enough to maintain silent shamefully ‘ as they know well the Muslims community in the country are ‘ cheap n no with a clear vision ‘. Shame on the respected MP s.

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