Sri Lanka imposes state of emergency amid violence

By Dilrukshi Handunnetti

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka

President Maithripala Sirisena on Tuesday imposed a state of emergency across the country in a bid to quell communal clashes between the majority Sinhalese Buddhists and minority Muslims in the central district.

Sirisena said stern action would be taken against elements fueling communalism in the island.

Several reports indicate that clashes between the two communities have caused widespread destruction to Muslim-owned properties in the Theldeniya area of Kandy district.

Police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekera told Anadolu Agency a personal dispute was the initial trigger of the violence; police curfew was later declared to bring the situation under control.

The dispute had resulted in the assault of a Sinhalese man, who died of his injuries a few days later.

But the violence took a new path, according to eyewitnesses, after a Muslim youth Abdul Basith was killed by a mob on Monday, following which a police curfew was declared and all government schools were shut down.

On Tuesday, an angry mob began attacking Muslim households, businesses, and mosques, as violence erupted in the area prompting police to fire tear gas and rubber pellets to control the mob, which also included monks, said police officials, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on talking to the media.

The mob, gathered in front of the police station, demanded the release of several persons arrested in connection with leading violent attacks in the area.

Meanwhile, the Colombo-based think tank, Centre for Policy Alternatives, in a statement claimed that videos inciting communal hatred were going viral, with contents including false information.

Turkish Foreign Ministry condemned the violence in a written statement on Tuesday.

“We are concerned by the acts of violence recently perpetrated in various regions of Sri Lanka and targeting the Muslims population and their buildings,” the ministry said.

“We wish mercy upon those who lost their lives in the events, convey our condolences to their bereaved families and wish a speedy recovery to the wounded.”

The statement added: “We believe that the Sri Lankan government will take the necessary steps to ensure that different religious and ethnic communities continue to live together in peace across the country.”

Occasional flare-ups

In recent years, the occasional flare-ups between the majority Sinhalese and the Muslim minority have marred the island’s image of an inclusive multi-religious state.

In February 2018, five people were wounded and business premises and a mosque were damaged in the Eastern District of Ampara, a multi-ethnic area.

Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa blamed the government for mishandling the communal violence.

“It is the #SriLanka Government's responsibility to maintain law and order in #Digana. Action could have been taken sooner to prevent clashes. I urge residents to remain calm and act with reason,” Rajapaksa tweeted.

Alan Keenan of the International Crisis Group called for urgent intervention to control the situation developing in the central district.

Muslims make up about 10 percent of the island’s population of nearly 22 million people which Sinhalese make up about 74 percent.

Meanwhile, the Amnesty International urged Sri Lankan authorities to take action against mobs, who are inciting hatred and carrying out acts of violence against religious minorities.

In a statement, Biraj Patnaik, Amnesty's South Asia director, said: "A state of emergency has been declared after two incidents of serious violence against members of the country’s Muslim minority. On March 5, a mob set homes, shops and a mosque ablaze in the Digana area of Kandy, in central Sri Lanka. The incident came just days after a similar attack in the eastern coastal district of Ampara, on 26 February.

“It is important that the authorities take action against mobs who have incited hatred and carried out acts of violence against religious minorities. They have a duty to protect vulnerable groups and hold the perpetrators accountable. But a state of emergency must not become a pretext for further human rights abuses.”