June 6, 2017 /
author: COLOMBO TELEGRAPH/
Muslim-Owned Shop Torched In Wijerama
Another Muslim-owned shop in Wijerama, Nugegoda has been petrol bombed at 1 AM on June 6th. While the police have deployed 4 teams to arrest Galagoda Atte Gnanasra, this is the 5th big shop that has been set on fire.
“Fortunately, the shop owners have adopted a brilliant fire protection system by filling water into plastic bottles behind the front door so that if petrol bombs are throw, the plastic bottle will burst and the fire would be doused,” a ship owner in Wijerama told Colombo Telegraph.
Speaking to Colombo Telegraph, a member of the Muslim Council said: “While the President is talking about discussions among religious leaders to resolve ethnic conflicts, the Muslim economy is being set on fire on a daily basis. The president must immediately order the arrest of these arsonists or force the IGP to resign if he cannot do his job.”
The following is a documentation of the violence against Muslims during the last 5 weeks:
1) 16th April, 2017 – Petrol Bombs thrown at shops in Godapitiya
Four shops owned by Muslims were attacked with petrol Bombs in Godapitiya, Porruva,. This incident went unreported due to the pressure brought in by the local police. This was not even reported in the social media by local residents, fearing further police intimidation. Even after a month, the police have still not been able to investigate and apprehend the perpetrators of this act of violence.
20th April, 2017 – Land Grab at Irrakamam in Mayakkali
2) 1/2 Acres of Muslim land was forcible taken over in Irrakamam in Mayakkali. No police action has been taken even after complaints have been lodged.
25th April 2017 – Incitement by Ven. Gnanasara Thero in Irrakamam.
Ven. Gnanasara thero visited Irrakamam and made a very provocative speech violating his bail conditions. Police complaints have been made and no action has been taken up to todate.
8th May 2017 – Myanmar Boat People
Ven. Gnanasara Thero claimed at a press conference that refugees from Myanmar had arrived in Sri Lanka with the intention of invading our land. These refugees were arrested at sea by the Sri Lankan navy while they were attempting to flee to Australia by boat due to the astrocytes of the racist Myanmar government. This statement was purely meant to provoke the Sinhala Buddhists.
10th May 2017 – Vesak celebrations
Vesak celeberations with Bodhi pujas were undertaken in Irrakamam in Mayakkali which is a predominantly Muslim area to provoke them, but the Muslims showed much restraint and no untoward incidents were reported.
May 14th 2017 – Theratening Muslims in Onegama in Pollonaruwa
A group of Buddhist monks led by Ven. Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thero threatened Muslims in Onegama in Pollonaruwa and broke their huts and livelihood means. The Police who were present did not attempt to stop this mob from causing this violence. Hiru TV showed the destruction of the huts of the Muslims. Here again, Ven. Gnanasara Thero insulted Allah subahanauwa ta’aala in the most demeaning words by talking about Allah’s balls. His exact words were, ” They have placed Allah’s Balls here. They say there is no physical being called Allah and yet, they have kept his balls here”. Defaming of Allah subahanauwa ta’aala, is the most blasphemous insult that no Muslim will tolerate. Police complaints have been made with video evidence and the they have failed to take any action yet.
15th May 2017 – Attack on the Muslim Village of Selvanagar in the Trincomalee District.
The entire Muslim population of Selva Nagar in Thoppur (Tricomalee District, bordering Seruvila and Muthur electorate) has been threatened by a mob from outside led by Buddhist monks. A large number of Muslims have fled the area due to this intimidation. The local temple (Pansala) currently owns six acres and they are now attempting to claim 49 acres of Muslim lands insisting that these are archeological sites. Muslims have been living and in possession of these lands for over a hundred years. Residents claim that these extremists are trying to drive them out as the LTTE did during the ethnic conflict.
15th May.2017 – A fire had broken in Panadura Mosque .
It is suspected that extremist elements may have attempted to set the mosque on fire using a petrol bomb. This is the second petrol bomb attack. They had also set alight a garbage dump close by. No police action has been initiated.
15th May 2017 – Masked men attack Kohilawatta Ibrahim Jumma Mosque – Unidentified men had arrived on motorbikes and attempted to attack the mosque. When some workers who were doing some renovations came out, they had left on their bikes..
16th May 2017 – Insults Allah:
Once again, Ven. Gnanasara Thero insults Allah subahanauwa ta’aala in the most demeaning way at a press conference.
16th May 2017 – Attack on Muslim Selva Nagar in Thoppur
A large group of Buddhist extremists numbering about 200 had gone to Selva Nagar in Thoppur with clubs and swords and caused extensive damage to 16 houses and property. No police action has been taken despite several complaints.
16th May 2017 – Gang Attacks Kohilawatte Mosque
The Kohilawatte Mosque, in Sedawatte, was attacked with stones and clubs, around 1:30 p.m. by an unidentified gang, resulting in extensive damage, Wellampitiya Police has been provided CCTV footage of the attack and no arrests have been made as yet.
May 17 2017 – Two Shops In Panadura Attacked
Two Muslim owned shops were attacked in Panadura and extensive damage caused to its furniture, equipment and fittings. One was a bakery and the other was a communications facility.
May 18th 2017 – Last Chance Electrical showroom burnt
The Last Chance show room in Wennappuwa has been set on fire and burnt down completely on the night of 17th May. The losses are estimated at several millions.
21st May 2017 – Mallawapitiya mosque in Kurunegala Attacked
A procession led by Ven. Gnanasra, which was going to Ibbagamuwa, was stopped by police. There after, Ven. Gnanasara and other Buddhist extremists claimed that they were being stopped at the call of the Muslims and abused in raw filth. They called on the crowd that had gathered to attack the Muslims. Six petrol bombs had been hurled at the Mallawapitiya mosque causing damage. Police have not arrested anyone yet.
21st May 2017 – A Cosmetic Shop in Elpitiya burnt.
A cosmetic store owned by a Muslim has been set on fire causing extensive damage and millions in losses. Police have still failed to make a comprehensive investigation.
22nd May 2017 – A leather Store in Wijerama Junction, Maharagama set on fire.
A leather store belonging to a Muslim at Wijerama Junction, Maharagama has been set on fire during the night and completely burnt. Losses are estimated to run in to millions.
22nd May 2017 – A shop been set on fire in Kahawatta.
=====================
Sri Lanka continues hunt for controversial Buddhist monk
Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-07 16:39:25|Editor: xuxin
COLOMBO, June 7 (Xinhua) -- The Sri Lankan government said on Wednesday that the police were continuing search operations to hunt for a controversial Buddhist monk wanted for making alleged hate speeches and attacks against the minorities in the island country.
Cabinet spokesperson Rajitha Senaratne said according to information, the General Secretary of the Bodu Bala Sena, Galagodaatte Gnanasara Thero, was in the country but was still in hiding.
"I do not know why there is a delay but police are continuing to search for him," Senaratne said.
He added that there was an arrest warrant against the monk.
Gnanasara Thero's party is accused of instigating a recent wave of hate attacks against the country's Muslim minority.
"He is wanted in connection with obstruction of justice, hate speech and several other crimes," the police said in a statement recently.
His party, the BBS, said Gnanasara had gone into hiding fearing he could be assassinated.
"The monk is at a secret location," BBS spokesman Dilantha Vithanage told reporters in Colombo last week.
"We have told him not to venture out as he could be assassinated after he is arrested."
========================
Govt. minister protecting Gnanasara Thera: Rajtha
Cabinet Spokesman and Health Minister, Rajitha Senaratne said today a warrant has been issued for the arrest of Bodu Bala Sena leader Galagodatte Gnanasara Thera and CID detectives have been deployed to take him into custody over allegations of inciting religious and racial hatred.
Responding to a journalist at yesterday’s weekly news briefing, he said it would be a difficult task for the police to arrest him if he was being protected by a minister.
Journalist: There are media reports that he is being protected by a minister.
Spokesman: Possible. That is why the police have been unable to arrest him. Sri Lanka is not such a big country nor were there so many hiding places for him to hide.
Journalist: Why only Gnanasara Thera. Why don't the police arrest Tamil and Muslim racists?
Minister: He has been directed to appear in Court to answer allegations made against him by the Police. His language is extremely insulting and he has called Muslims Thambiyas and Marakkalayas. He has also allegedly attempted to incite people against other ethnic groups. The Muslim and Tamil politicians have not done that but have demanded their rights. Talking about your rights or making a statement to that effect will not create divisions among people.
Journalist: Mosques have been attacked even after Gnanasara Thera has gone under ground. That means he is not responsible for the attacks.
Minister: True. But anyone who wants to prove his innocence can attack a mosque. He said some Eastern Muslim MPs met him recently to complain about the attacks on Muslims and he will discuss the matter with them shortly and appraise the President and the Prime Minister on this matter.
(Sandun A. Jayasekera)
Something bigger is happening here than the usual Punch v Judy. Kevin Farnsworth, a social scientist at the University of York, has put the manifestos for the two main parties from every election since 1945 through a cutting-edge piece of software – then asked it to assess how alike they were in concepts and phrases. The result? The Conservative manifesto is closer to Labour’s than at any point since the second world war.
Saying ain’t doing, of course. To see how little a promise can be worth, just ask Nick Clegg about tuition fees. Yet manifestos remain the clearest summaries of what each party is thinking. And in 2017, May’s Conservatives are a world away from the Cameroons. No more wish fulness about a “big society”, nor any bluster about a “long-term economic plan”.
May’s Conservatives worry about fairness, left-behind regions and depressed wages – just like Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour. I can critique her solutions – indeed, give me a minute and I shall – but that one fact marks a massive break with previous elections.
Unlike when David Cameron battled Ed Miliband, the country this pair of party leaders see is more alike than it is different. Both Corbyn and May look out on a workforce that is still poorer than it was in 2008; provinces and nations whose economies are mere feedstock for the spivs up from London; and a public deemed too uncouth for the tailored professionals of Westminster.Let me put it another way: this is Britain’s first post-crash election. Over the decade since the collapse of Northern Rock, one or both parties have pretended that things are basically fine; that the game isn’t rigged; that a few tweaks will fix the clearly malfunctioning economic model. This election is the first in which both party leaders drop the happy-clappy, catch up with just how bad things have got – and, at last, grope around for fixes.The point at which the false beliefs of Westminster bumped into the solid reality of Britain will be marked up as June 2016, when the de-industrialised and disenfranchised communities of south Wales and the north-east delivered Brexit for the coffee-morning pensioners and bug-eyed libertarians of the south. Of all the contenders for the Tory leadership, May was the first to see that the vote was a register of popular discontent.
It takes decades for an ideology to die – but among the power elites of London, you can finally see it happening. What the cultural theorist Jeremy Gilbert calls “The Long 90s” – the decade and a half that began with the fall of the Berlin Wall and ended with the collapse of RBS – – and that spanned Tony Blair, The Fast Show, garden decking, golden rules for public spending and an ever-growing finance sector – is coming to a close.
What replaces it is a much harder question. It took a Miliband for Labour to fess up that Britain’s economic model – for which, under Blair and Brown, it was heavily responsible – was broken. May is clearly way out in front of her party, and the confusion is daubed all over her manifesto. The Tories want to stand up for the little guy, while cutting taxes for big corporations: to invest more, even while sticking to an austerity programme. May clearly wants to leave open the option to raise taxes, while Michael Fallon believes that option should be shut down – now..
As a non-believer in New Labour, Corbyn has no such ideological awkwardness, while John McDonnell is one of the few people in the Labour party who didn’t subcontract out their economic thinking to Brown and Ed Balls. But still, their team admit they have a way to go in rethinking Britain’s economy – and they are having to do so against a famously hostile parliamentary party. The result is Corbyn’s manifesto, which is chiefly remarkable for its unabashed defence of basic social democratic values. It’s the programme you imagine Brown would like to have delivered – if only he hadn’t been so busy triangulating.
All of this is miles away from exit polls and ballot counts in draughty school halls. But the bottom line is this: anyone who hoped 2016, the year of Trump and Brexit, was a one-off in political volatility is about to be mightily disappointed. What lies ahead is a long period of flux as both Labour and Tories grapple with what a post-crash Britain should do. It will be rough and bumpy – but necessary for their survival. Although it may not look that way from the studio sofas.
Source: The Guardian UK