By Imtiyaz Razak –
Prof A.R.M. Imtiyaz
A group of 22 Israeli nationals departed from Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) in Katunayake on Wednesday, October 23, due to heightened security warnings about potential terrorist threats in the Arugam Bay area. This evacuation follows increased vigilance across Sri Lanka, prompted by travel advisories from multiple embassies, including those of the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Israel. These warnings specifically advised caution in regions like Arugam Bay, which has recently attracted a significant influx of Israeli tourists due to its reputation as a premier surfing destination.
The targeting of tourists, including those of Jewish descent, in Sri Lanka—or anywhere else—must be unequivocally condemned. Such acts jeopardize innocent lives, tarnish a nation’s international reputation, and undermine its social and economic stability.
Multiple intelligence agencies, including those from India and the U.S., alerted the Sri Lankan government to potential threats against Jewish tourists in the Arugam Bay region. Reports indicated that some individuals were allegedly planning an attack on an Israeli-operated resort in the Ampara district.
Despite these credible warnings, the response from the Sri Lankan government, led by a Marxist coalition, raises concerns about its adequacy in protecting foreign visitors. This apparent failure highlights a significant gap in the state’s approach to security, particularly in safeguarding vulnerable groups such as tourists.
Globally, tensions among Muslim communities have often intensified due to conflicts in the Middle East. Emotional reactions to these events can lead to harmful behaviors, including violence against those perceived as politically associated with the region. However, it is crucial for Sri Lankans, especially within the Muslim community, to exercise restraint and engage in introspection before acting on impulses that could endanger tourists.
Local concerns about foreign tourists’ business activities, particularly among Jews, should be addressed through appropriate legal channels rather than through violence or hostility. Tourists visiting Sri Lanka expect safety and hospitality, and any violence against them exacerbates misunderstandings and marginalization.
The tragic events of the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks serve as a stark reminder of the devastation that extremism can unleash. While these attacks were executed by a small faction of terrorists, the entire Muslim community in Sri Lanka faced severe repercussions, including social ostracism, economic difficulties, and widespread prejudice. This historical context underscores the need for promoting peace and unity rather than allowing emotions to fuel further division and harm.
Sri Lankan Muslims, like Muslims everywhere, are called to embody the values of hospitality, compassion, and peace—especially toward foreign visitors. These principles align with Islamic teachings and are vital for maintaining Sri Lanka’s reputation as a welcoming nation. Targeting tourists based on their identity or political affiliations only serves to deepen political conflicts and harm the country’s global standing, jeopardizing its economic lifeblood.
Tourism is one of Sri Lanka’s essential sources of revenue and a significant driver of foreign investment. The nation’s economic stability and growth rely heavily on its ability to attract and retain tourists. Consequently, the government bears the responsibility to ensure the safety of all visitors, regardless of nationality or religious background. Those individuals or groups found to be planning or executing attacks against tourists must be held accountable under the law.
In conclusion, targeting tourists not only violates the principles of peace and humanity but also poses a risk to Sri Lanka’s economic stability and global reputation. It is imperative that the government prioritize the safety of tourists while fostering a community environment rooted in tolerance and respect.
*Dr. A.R.M. Imtiyaz, a native of Sri Lanka, is an affiliated faculty member at the South Asia Center at the University of Pennsylvania, USA. He previously taught in the Political Science Department at Temple University from 2009 to 2016 and in the Department of History at Nanjing University from 2016 to 2020. His research focuses on nationalism and ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka and China.
Ajith / October 25, 2024
“targeting tourists not only violates the principles of peace and humanity but also poses a risk to Sri Lanka’s economic stability and global reputation. “
It is true that targeting tourists poses a risk to Sri Lanka’s economy. Easter Bombing is a good example which not only targeted tourists but also Christian community. It was blamed on ISIS because it involved national Islamists and some investigations told us that it was directed by Politicians during an election. Our politicians and military personnel completely ignored the advice from foreign warning about the threat.
In fact, Sri Lankan military are divided and there are weaknesses in the system. So, anything can happen.
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Ruchira / October 25, 2024
Yhe author concludes by saying: “..
targeting tourists not only violates the principles of peace and humanity but also poses a risk to Sri Lanka’s economic stability and global reputation. It is imperative that the government prioritize the safety of tourists while fostering a community environment rooted in tolerance and respect.”
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You don’t have to extend special treatment to tourists. If the government treat each and every human being whether they are a citizen of this country or a foreigner visiting, as per the laws of the land and ethos prescribed by orher conventions such as Universal Declaration of Human Rights no issue would have arisen, and maltreatment of tourists or locals would take place.
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But you can not expect a government that does not take care of its own citizens to take care of tourists. Especially when the government jas been seized by international criminals, italian Mafia, and other terror organisations including the LTTE.
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Therefore it is unlikely AKD and his deputy Harini would do anything that’d benefit the country’s ppl in the long run, though some measures to improve cosmetics are being taken, as they have given themselves in for greed for money and power and lust for forbidden sexual pleasures.
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It is high time we start looking for alternatives.
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Rohan25 / October 26, 2024
Terror organizations including the LTTE? Ok fine but what about the Sinhalese Sri Lankan state sponsored terror against the island’s Tamils that is still continuing? Very silent about this. This only gave birth to the LTTE. The LTTE is dead and gone but the Sinhalese state sponsored terror and marginalization of the island’s Tamils still continuing. Another hypocrite who constantly comes here about the plight of the Palestinians but condones and rejoices in the state sponsored Sinhalese Buddhist terror against the island’s Tamils. Constantly making anti Tamil comments and heaping abuse against Tamil bloggers, forgetting his own recent post 15Th century South Indian Tamil immigrant origin, like many Sinhalese.
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hulang / October 27, 2024
“The targeting of tourists, including those of Jewish descent, in Sri Lanka—or anywhere else—must be unequivocally condemned. Such acts jeopardize innocent lives,”
Are these “innocent tourists ” really?
All Israelis men and women have to be in the army . Some have come here for rest after killing innocent Palestine children. Why is the government allow this?
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LankaScot / October 27, 2024
Hello Hulang,
I am a supporter of Palestinian Self Determination and also condemn the Russian War against Ukraine. I have no problem with treating all tourists equally. I have spoken to Israelis, Russians, Ukrainians and other East European tourists here in Sri Lanka.
If Sri Lanka were to put Sanctions on any of these Countries due to their Complicity in War Crimes I would have no problem as long as it was done legally. They might even include the US and UK, however I doubt if any of this will happen.
If the ICC or the ICJ produce definitive Judgements against Israel and Israeli Personnel then Sri Lanka, being a member of the UN, is obliged to follow these directives. Such a Judgement may lead to an Implosion of the UN and its demise; then the “free for all” will start. Despite reading DTG’s Armageddon proclamations, these are Human actions that are contributing to the International descent into chaos. The US cannot even bring itself to stop the Israelis from attacking UN Peacekeepers in Lebanon. Maybe other contributors to these columns have an explanation for the “Unconditional Support” of the US for Israel?
Best regards
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davidthegood / October 27, 2024
LankaScot, Armageddon proclamations are not mine but are directly from the biblical passages in Ezek. 38 and 39 as well as Daniel 7. After Jesus ascended, the Jerusalem Temple was destroyed and his disciples and the Jewish population were scattered through the world and mainly to the US, Christopher Columbus himself being of Sephardic Jewish descent. “Unconditional Support” of the US for Israel has many facets throughout including Trump who confirmed Jerusalem as capital of Israel in 2017 and moved US embassy from Tel Aviv. UN resolutions will be undermined when Jesus who lived only in Israel and was crucified and resurrected from Jerusalem, (witness is the truth of the church of the Holy Sepulcher where one can touch the huge rocks that split under the cross, as well as empty tomb). Return of Jesus is to undivided Jerusalem.
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Lester / October 28, 2024
Hulang,
“Some have come here for rest after killing innocent Palestine children.”
The real question you have to ask is whether or not most Palestinians support Hamas. Even passive support should be questioned. The analogy is “denazification” as carried out by the Allies following WW2.
“Denazification (German: Entnazifizierung) was an Allied initiative to rid German and Austrian society, culture, press, economy, judiciary, and politics of the Nazi ideology following the Second World War. It was carried out by removing those who had been Nazi Party or SS members from positions of power and influence, by disbanding or rendering impotent the organizations associated with Nazism, and by trying prominent Nazis for war crimes in the Nuremberg trials of 1946.”
This process is very difficult, as anti-semitism is there in the religion itself.
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Muhandiram / October 28, 2024
Lester
“The real question you have to ask is whether or not most Palestinians support Hamas. Even passive support should be questioned.”
What is wrong with “most Palestinians” or even if all Palestinians support Hamas. Do you know how the Brutal, Heartless zionists Imposed themselves in Palestine in 1948 by Mercilessly attacking Native Palestinians and Forcing over 700,000 of them from their homes thereby Emptying 538 Palestinian villages? The zionist Terror groups that carried out these Terror Attacks, Declared a UDI and created Israel on STOLEN Palestinian lands. Subsequently, in 1949, the Western Controlled UNSC recognised the illegal zionist entity as a state and admitted the zionist entity as a Member of the UN. The zionist entity continued to expand annexing more Palestinian lands even after that, creating more Palestinian Refugees. Several UNSC and UNGA Resolutions demanding Israeli withdrawal from Occupied Territories have been callously IGNORED by the Brutal Israeli Occupiers.
Will there be a Hamas if Palestinian Lands were Not STOLEN from Palestinians and continue to be Occupied by the Heartless zionists?
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Rohan25 / October 26, 2024
It is not Ampara but Amparai. As a Tamil Muslim you should know how to spell and pronounce the original Tamil name properly and not the current Sinhalized version, deliberately being promoted to hide the fact that this was once a Tamil area. Even now despite large scale Sinhalization and settlement in this district 60% speak Tamil as their first language.
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Rohan25 / October 26, 2024
All Sinhalese led Sri Lankan governments deliberately promoted the Arabization of the island’s immigrant South Indian Tamil origin Muslims and also with the help of the island’s largely selfish opportunistic and power hungry southern Muslim elite and politicians and brainwashed the island’s Muslim masses, who make up more than 95% of the island’s Muslims and are more or less 100% Tamil by ethnicity, that they are of Arab descent and to worship everything even remotely connected to the Arabs in the name of Islam and their imagined Arab origin and despite speaking in Tamil, to hate their own ancient rich classical Tamil language and the 1000 year old rich Tamil Islamic culture, that they brought with them from their original South Indian Tamil homeland a few centuries ago.
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Rohan25 / October 26, 2024
All this was these calculated moves were done to deliberately divide and rule the Tamils on the basis of religion, origin and region and ultimately destroy all of them, Colombo Chetties, Bharatha, Muslims, Indian origin Tamils, Indigenous Eelam Tamils etc, whilst the opposite was done for the Sinhalese. A religion and a miniscule amount of Arab blood was deliberately used to create a separate identity, from the rest of the Tamils and to radicalize, and Arabize them to deliberately to wean them, them away from their Tamil identity and hate it. They were used as a tool to marginalize the island’s Tamils. Especially in the east, to muddy the waters, Sinhalize the east, and to deny the eastern Tamils their homeland and rights. At the expense of the Tamils the Sinhalese gave a few crumbs, especially to their elite to keep them happy. They allowed radical rich Muslim nations and Islamists from Western Asia and the subcontinent to come and radicalize them, Arabize them and to further and further wean them away from their Tamil heritage and identity, as it suited the Sinhalese and the Muslim elite agenda. During the war Muslim or Islamic homeguards were trained by the STF and ironically by Israeli intelligence in the east to brutally kill attack, rape loot burn and ethnically cleanse Tamil Hindu villages in the east, especially in Amparai.
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Rohan25 / October 26, 2024
It was only after the LTTE attack on the Kattankudi Mosque their headquarters and a well-known mosque of Islamic extremism then as now it stopped. They were going to start this in the north, but the LTTE found out in time and evicted them. Radical Extremist Tamil hating Muslim politicians and Islamic parties, in the north and east were given all the support by the Sri Lankan state, and most Sinhalese and used to again as a tool and given undue political power to keep the Tamils down, again especially in the east. Arabic sign board, forms of dress, and many other forms of Gulf Arab Islamic culture was encouraged in Muslim majority areas in the east. Even large amount of Tamil Hindu land was appropriated by the state to build a huge Arab Islamic University, funded by rich Gulf Arab states in a Hindu Tamil majority area in Batticaloa, with the view of ultimately converting large amount of Batticaloa to Muslim. It is only after the April Easter Bombing of largely Christian Tamil churches and hotels in Colombo, that the Sinhalese woke up to the monster they had helped to create, as a tool to marginalize and deny the island’s Tamils their rights. Now this.
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Rohan25 / October 26, 2024
It is only after the April Easter Bombing of largely Christian Tamil churches and hotels in Colombo, that the Sinhalese woke up to the monster they had helped to create, as a tool to marginalize and deny the island’s Tamils their rights. Now this. Damn good for the Israelis too, as their intelligence helped to create the Islamic Home Guards in the east that ethnically cleansed, burnt and chased away thousands of Hindu Tamils and ancient Hindu Tamil villages in the east and made the Muslims very powerful here with Sinhalese state help. Now the evil that you created has come to visit you and soon the Sinhalese will also learn a good lesson. Never dabble with evil and extremism.
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davidthegood / October 27, 2024
Rohan25, there are many things we have no control over. VP tried to create Eelam and was not able. UN tries to create a Palestinian state which still has no borders of UN, with complete recognition by US, UK, Europe and others. Only Arabs accept. It will be the same when Hamas activists entered UK Westminster Parliament. We need to consider that the Creator God Jehovah has a plan and purpose for his creation.
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Rohan25 / October 28, 2024
Difference, Until the arrival of the European colonialists. especially the British. There was a Tamil Eelam ( Jaffna kingdom and the eastern Tamil Vannimai chiefdoms) however there was no Palestinian Arab nation. There was an ancient Jewish nation that got subjugated to the Romans, they were then chased off and after Roman rule, it was Byzantine and then Ottoman and most Palestinian Arabs started to arrive and settle in these lands during the late Ottoman period. Go and read your history properly. Short there was a Tamil nation on the island a few centuries ago but never an Arab nation in Palestine. This does not mean their current treatment at the hands of the Israelis is justified,
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Rohan25 / October 28, 2024
The Sinhalese regained their sovereignty in 1948 but the Tamils did not, The British instead of handing over the sovereignty of the Eelam Tamil lands back to the Tamils, without the permission of the ordinary Tamils handed their lands and the Tamil people to Sinhalese rule, under a unitary state. They had not right to have done this. fully knowing the history of the land Discussing this with a few elite highly Sinhalized rich Colombo Tamil families, is not asking the permission of the Tamils, they were just a bunch of opportunistic British puppets, who did not care about their own people. just like a few self-hating Tamils here. They did not do this when they separated undivided India into two nations and created Muslim Pakistan, All done to suit the European colonial powers
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LankaScot / October 28, 2024
Hello Rohan25,
The abolition of the Ottoman monarchy in 1922, formally ended the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman Empire was primarily Turkish Muslim. My 2nd Gt Grandfather fought for them (British and French) against the Russian Empire during the Crimean War in the 1850s. A great many (about 200,000) of the indigenous Tatar People (Muslim) were forced into exile by the Russians
The Arab (Hashemite) Revolt of 1916 to create a single Arabic State was initially supported by the British and then sabotaged by them with the Sykes-Picot Agreement. Read a little bit about T E Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) and the Battle of Aqaba which had many local Arabic Tribesmen join in.
So you said “most Palestinian Arabs started to arrive and settle in these lands during the late Ottoman period”.
So when did they arrive, how many and where did they come from?
Best regards
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SJ / October 27, 2024
“Never dabble with evil and extremism.”
Good.
When will you give up on the LTTE and other sectarian versions?
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Champa / October 27, 2024
Rohan25
You say, “It is not Ampara but Amparai”. Then you accuse the writer for using the “Sinhalized” version of Ampara and deliberately being promoted to hide the fact that it was once a Tamil area.” Huh!
What you say is a fake history. You have absolutely no evidence to support your claim. Ampara is a Sinhala name which derived from the name “Ambaragama”. I will tell you the history of Ampara with fact-based historical evidence.
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In the ancient Sinhaladvipa, Ampara was situated in a region called Digha Mandala. The original name of Ampara was Ambaragama which was a part of Ruhunu Kingdom ruled by King Mahasena and King Kakavanna Tissa (King KavanTissa). (Source: Chulavamsa).
For your information, the boundaries of the ancient Ruhunu Kingdom were Kelani, Kalu and Mahaweli rivers. In other words, the Ruhunu Kingdom stretched from Kolomtiththa (Colombo) to Gokarnatiththa (Thrikonamalaya). “Gokarna” is a Sinhala Sanskrit name for a kind of deer that dwelled near the sea-shore and marshy lands. The name Trikonamalaya or modern day Trincomalee was the Tamilization of the village where “Siri Gorkarnamalaya” Viharaya was situated.
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Champa / October 27, 2024
Back to Ampara.
The original name Ampara was Ambaragama. As you know, Tamils have an issue with Sinhala letters “ප” (p) and “බ” (b). They pronounce the letter “p” as “b”. When the colonists changed traditional Sinhalese village names in the North and East, it was Tamil government agents who did the translation. That is how you got the letter “p” instead of the letter “b” in the word Ampara.
In the Sinhala Pali writing system, “Ambara” means garments (වස්ත්ර). The word “Kambala” also means garments, but were made out of wool or animal hair. In those days, some people used the tail hair of elephants and horses to stuff cushions. In the Vinaya Pitaka, Buddhist monks were prohibited from using “Kambala”. There are words such as “Rattakambala” which means red-colored garments. It is evident that in ancient times, Ampara (Ambaragama or Kambalagama) has been a Sinhalese village where garments were produced.
Our Sinhalese cultural identity and the Sinhalese Buddhist heritage in the North and East were denied to us by changing traditional Sinhala place names there. I have a long list of blatant changes made to Sinhala village names and later call them Tamil areas. For example: Kokawila was replaced by the Tamil name Kokuvil. Somapura was Tamilized to Sampur. Veheragala was changed to Verugal.
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Rohan25 / October 28, 2024
Another Jataka tale and fake history created by Sinhalese extremists to justify and explain Sinhalization of ancient Tamil place names, Tamil has a far older history on the island and in fact a very large amount of place names down south especially along the coast all have a Tamil origin. Further 30-35% of modern Sinhalese vocabulary is derived from Tamil not the other way around. Therefore very easy to give and give a fake explanation. Eg. Idam Idama, Madu Maduwa, Malai Male, Koadu goda, Oyaval/Odai Oya, Veli Weliya or Weli the list goes on, This is like the daughter claiming the mother looks like her and not the other way around
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Svenson / October 27, 2024
No shortage of ranting Tamil racists today. Please leave some space for the few non-racist Tamils.
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Rohan25 / October 28, 2024
To Sinhalese racists, especially the ones who have opportunistically, fled to the west like you, during the war period under fake pretexts, for the good life. any Tamil stating the truth about what is happening, or the real plight of the Tamils is a racist. To you opportunistic, selfish self-hating Tamils, who rundown their own people and fawn to Sinhalese racists are good Tamils.
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Lasantha Pethiyagoda / October 28, 2024
The writer, a Muslim, wants to protect all foreign tourists from harm as otherwise it will dampen the attraction of foreigners to Sri Lanka. If the Israeli tourists (most of them presumably on stress or trauma leave after tours of Gaza and the West Bank and now Lebanon) are provided special security that too will discourage tourists from arriving. Seeing fully armed STF and other personnel in tourist areas, being security checked at barriers and various other protocols will only drive them away from Sri Lanka. On the other hand, many of these “tourists” operate their own hotels and night spots, where locals are strictly banned. The patrons pay for their services in the home country (Israel) and very little spending is locally done. The operators of these exclusive Israeli tourist venues are on tourist visas although they work there and conduct businesses. The government should not provide these people an environment to operate in the above manner. Most Israelis have two passports as they are dual citizens of the US (mostly) and UK, EU or elsewhere. Apart from the holocaust of Gaza, there needs to be an ethical framework where known serial killers or other criminals are barred from a country, regardless of their origin or need for “arrival statistics”.
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