{"id":188344,"date":"2018-03-07T08:43:55","date_gmt":"2018-03-07T03:13:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?p=188344"},"modified":"2018-03-10T00:30:15","modified_gmt":"2018-03-09T19:00:15","slug":"racist-terrorism-is-destabilising-our-country","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/racist-terrorism-is-destabilising-our-country\/","title":{"rendered":"Racist Terrorism Is Destabilising Our Country"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Mass L. Usuf<\/a> –<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Mass Usuf<\/p><\/div>\n

Our country shamelessly adds one more dark day in its march towards creating an anarchist society. On the one hand it boasts as upholding the noble teachings of Buddha while on the other acting exactly contrary to the Dhamma.\u00a0<\/span>Innocent civilian Muslim population was viciously attacked indiscriminately on 05th<\/span><\/span>\u00a0March 2018 in several places of the Central Province of Sri Lanka including the villages of Digana<\/a>, Teldeniya<\/a>, Udispattuwa and Medamahanuwara. The extent of damage has yet to be assessed. So far, the death of a Muslim youth has been reported.\u00a0 <\/span>The place resembles a war-torn area with business premises and houses totally burnt down others half burnt.\u00a0<\/span>Muslims mosques vandalised and desecrated. The well organised and planned pogrom was apparently executed in coordination with the support and logistics of a multitude of Sinhala racist organisations.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Notable Monks<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

The presence of several monks who in the past have had the notoriety of being the architects of violence and disharmony were very conspicuous.\u00a0 <\/span>The presence of these monks was a harbinger of what was to come in the evening of 5<\/span>th<\/sup><\/span> March.\u00a0 <\/span>It may also be technical to ask if their presence was tacit approval for anything that followed. One of such persons was the Venerable Galagoda Atte Gnanasara<\/a> who has close links with Wirathu the terror monk of Burma. Gnanasara thero is widely believed to be the instigator of the death and destruction brought upon the Muslim people in Aluthgama<\/a> in the South of the island. The BBC headline on 16 June 2014 the day of that massacre was, \u201cSri Lanka Muslims killed in Aluthgama clashes with Buddhists\u201d.\u00a0 <\/span>By the way there are several criminal cases pending against this monk and he is presently on bail.<\/span><\/p>\n

It may be of interest to refer to a news item in the website of President Maithripala Sirisena. It says, \u201call must unite together to conquer the challenges against the peace and reconciliation.\u201d<\/i><\/b>\u00a0<\/span>It is indescribable that in the face of a bold and determined statement like this, the President had failed to act decisively on an easily preventable spree of destruction perpetrated yesterday. Funnily enough in the aftermath he issues the bureaucratic statement that he has called for an independent investigation. <\/span><\/p>\n

Back to Back Attack<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

As for the Prime Minister, there is no scarcity for his proclamations.\u00a0 <\/span>In his Independence Day Message last month, he stated, \u201cSince being elected to power, our Government has consistently focused on<\/i><\/b> creating the right social and political climate needed to build a society that is indeed free and stable.\u201d\u00a0 <\/span><\/i><\/b>What we witnessed in the past few months hardly reflects on his message.\u00a0<\/span>His statement can now be termed as empty rhetoric.<\/span><\/p>\n

What is incredible is that these events did not take place between long intervals.\u00a0<\/span>The attack of 5th<\/span><\/span>\u00a0March was back to back to the attack in Ampara on 27th February which is in the Eastern Province.\u00a0 <\/span>Police inaction was reported in the Ampara violence.\u00a0 <\/span>Also, Police had underplayed the seriousness of the crimes committed by the suspects, in their report to the courts.\u00a0 <\/span>So much so that the Prime Minister ordered a probe into the matter.\u00a0 <\/span>(Please read my article in the Colombo Telegraph<\/em>, \u201c\u2018Wanda Pethi\u2019 My Foot!<\/a>\u201d of 02 March 2018).<\/span><\/p>\n

Connecting The Dots<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

The grave crime abstract of the Sri Lanka Police for the year 2017 reported the number of homicides in Sri Lanka as 452.\u00a0<\/span>An average of 1.2 deaths every day.\u00a0<\/span>In how many of these funeral houses did we see Gnanasara Thero, Ampitiye Sumana<\/a> Thero and several other theros visiting to pay condolences except those who belong to that village temple?<\/span><\/p>\n

On Jan 16, 2018, the local newspapers reported of a 14-year-old girl gang raped by three young men in Tissamaharama.\u00a0<\/span>The following day, the victim\u2019s family found her hanging from a tree. Did any of these theros come to pay their last respects to this 14-year-old little girl?<\/span><\/p>\n