Update on Kandy and related incidents as at 06th March, 2018 (10.00 a.m.)
Key Updates
1. Police curfew imposed in the Kandy administrative district, to combat
a wave of racially
motivated violence targeting minority Muslims unleashed by mobs following a personal
dispute that resulted in the death of a Sinhalese man (on Saturday morning) was lifted at 6
a.m. today. Police Commandos (STF)/Military patrolling the area will continue according to
police reports.
2. The Minister of Education had directed the closure of all schools in the district on 6th March.
3. Reports of
dozens of houses, business establishments belonging to Muslims being burnt down
and at least 3 Mosques (Muslim places of worship) being burnt
by mobs that included
Buddhist monks
4.
One youth from Muslim community is reportedly dead, after mobs attacked his house and
burnt the house while the individual was inside the house
5. Except for a statement issued late in the night of 5th of March 2018 by the Director General of
Government Information Department, there has been surprising silence from both Prime
Minister Wickramasinghe (who is also the Minister in charge of Police) and President Sirisena
on the incidents.
Background
Kandy
An altercation had taken place allegedly between a group of allegedly drunkard men (later
identified as Muslims) and a 41 year-old Sinhalese man on 22 February, resulting in him being
seriously injured. Though there are various claims of the actual reason for the altercation, none
were related to any racial or ethnic motives.
It is widely believed that the
assault was due to a traffic incident. The assailants, residents of
Ambagahalanda, Digana were arrested by the police, while a three-wheeler was also taken into
custody.
The victim, M.G.Kumarasinghe succumbed to his injuries at the Kandy hospital on Saturday the
3
rd of March 2018 and his funeral was due to take place on the evening of 5 March.
Immediately after the death at Hospital on the morning of Saturday the 3
rd March, local
Buddhist temple monks and Muslim community leaders along with a Senior Superintendent of
Police had a meeting to “assure that the private affair resulting in a death did not end up as a
racial issue”.
It was unanimously agreed that community leaders from both sides will proactively work
towards maintaining law and order, and until the night of Sunday the 4th of March, it was calm.
Muslim community representatives on Sunday went to the temple in the village of the
deceased and met with community leaders and handed over a monetary contribution towards
funeral expenses and committed more donation to the family as a goodwill gesture. They also
detailed how the community got together in making sure assailants surrendered to Police to
enable legal process to begin in this killing.
However it is suspected that the
status-quo changed as mobs came in buses from other parts
of the country and coincidentally 4 prominent anti-Muslim extremists (BBS leader monk
Gnanasara, Mahasohon Balakaya group leader Amith, controversial ‘activist’ Dan Priyasad and
notorious monk Ampitiye Sumana from Batticaloa) went to Kandy on the night of Sunday the
4
th of March 2018 onwards.
Additional Notes – Earlier last week violence was reported in Ampara in the Eastern Province:
Four shops and a mosque were damaged and at least three persons were injured in a clash
when a group went on rampage in the Eastern town of Ampara on the early morning of 27th of
February.
The violence which took a racial tone is said to have begun after a group of Sinhala youth
alleged that “Sterilization Pills” were added to a meal served by a Muslim owned restaurant to
a Sinhalese customer.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe ordered an investigation on the conduct of the police in
this matter as the suspects of the violence had been produced to courts and bailed without
objection from Police.
Reactions and responses to Incidents in Kandy
- Government
It was reported that President Maithripala Sirisena had directed the police and security sector
to “hold an unbiased, independent investigation into incidents at Digana Kandy today”. It also
said that President instructed government officials to start a “new special programme” with all
responsible parties to create peaceful situation in the area.
Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera taking to social media noted that “Enough is enough.
Inciting racial violence must be made a non-bailable offence and politicians who give leadership
to such violence should be deprived of their civic rights”.
The Government of Sri Lanka “strongly and unequivocally condemns the recent sporadic
incidents of violence that had sparked off in Ampara and Digana,” the Government Information
Director Sudarshana Gunawardana noted in a statement on behalf of the government.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in his capacity as the Law & Order Minister has ordered
another inquiry into the recent attacks on Muslim establishments in Ampara, as complaints of
Police inaction have surfaced.
The Office for National Unity and Reconciliation (ONUR) in a statement on 3 March noted that
it was the responsibility of the Government to ensure that immediate action is instituted
against all those who are responsible for the incidents. “We must learn lessons from the past
and do all that is required to prevent a recurrence of those tragic times.... Let us not allow a
small group of extremists to turn us back from our desired goal!”
Sources
http://www.ft.lk/top-story/Digana-turns-divisive-/26-650661
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2018-03-05/sri-lanka-deploys-police-military-after-
buddhist-muslim-clash
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/ap/article-5464645/Curfew-imposed-central-Sri-Lanka-mobs-
burn-property.html
https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/anti-muslim-assaults-in-teldeniya-kandy-under-
curfew-police-on-alert-as-bbs-shows-up/
http://www.colombopage.com/archive_18A/Mar05_1520257635CH.php
http://www.sundaytimes.lk/article/1040118/police-curfew-declared-in-kandy-district
https://www.newsfirst.lk/2018/03/kandy-unrest-president-instructs-launch-impartial-investigation/
https://www.news.lk/news/politics/item/19694-pm-orders-inquiry-into-ampara-incident
http://economynext.com/Sri_Lanka_imposes_curfew_after_anti_Muslim_riots-3-10049.html
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/sri-lankas-central-town-under-police-curfew-
after-violence/articleshow/63172356.cms
https://nation.com.pk/06-Mar-2018/sri-lanka-imposes-curfew-after-anti-muslim-riots
http://www.dailynews.lk/2018/03/06/local/144727/inciting-racial-violence-must-be-made-non-
bailable-offence-mangala
http://www.dailymirror.lk/article/Violence-in-Ampara-Who-is-giving-a-free-rein-to-bigots--
146793.html
http://www.dailymirror.lk/article/Four-Ministers-want-action-against-Ampara-violence-
146600.html
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/02/mosque-vandalized-sri-lanka-ampara-
180227144548660.html
http://www.dailymirror.lk/article/Tension-in-Ampara-town-146513.html
https://www.voanews.com/a/sri-lanka-shops-mosque-damaged-in-buddhist-muslim-
clash/4272547.html
http://www.colombopage.com/archive_18A/Mar04_1520178913CH.php