MP Ven. Aturaliye Ratana Thera listening to mothers at the Kurunegala Teaching Hoispital who complained that they had not conceived since undergoing caesarean surgery by Dr. Seigu Shiyabdeen Mohammed Safi. Pic by Nishan S. Priyantha
The police have urged the public to inform the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) if they have any complaints against Dr. Seiugu Shafi for having carried out any illegal sterilization. This may open a can of worms with many startling news to emerge. Irrespective of whether these allegations against a single doctor can be proven or not, the Department of Health is thrust with an urgent need to act appropriately and methodically, to prevent such horrible consequences happening to unsuspecting innocent patients in the future. Rather than trying to put these allegations under the carpet, the department should take immediate steps to prevent such abuses by surgeons with warped minds.
It is paramount to investigate whether such inhuman acts are spread across the country, by doctors following the teachings of fundamentalist religious groups. On the one hand there are complaints of sterilizations on Sinhala Buddhist women without consent, and on the other hand quite the opposite on Muslim women who should have had sterilizations, but being signed off as done without actually performing the procedure on them.
The Department of Health should take immediate steps to encourage
whistleblowing among the surgical staff performing Obs and Gyn. surgery. The nurses, midwives and junior doctors should be given clear guidelines in this respect.
As these tubes can be rendered ineffective by simply applying pressure by instruments like artery forceps, on the sly, during any Obstetric or Gynaecological intra-abdominal procedure; a check list system has to be set in place after each procedure.
All the surgical nurses in the Obs and Gyn theatre should be trained how to check the fallopian tubes once the surgeon has finished one’s surgery. This is a simple technique, which can be carried out by trained hands. Therefore, after each procedure by a surgeon, irrespective of his identity, the status of the fallopian tubes should be checked before the closure, at least by two such trained senior surgical nurses in attendance in the theatre.
Until the nurses and junior doctors doing Surgical and Obs and Gyn placements are trained properly, the VOGs and the Surgeons should display the healthy fallopian tubes to the junior doctors and to the theatre head nurse after each procedure, before closing the abdomen. Desperate situations call for desperate measures, as this could be a wide spread conspiracy across the country.
Women should be offered the choice to undergo tests such as hysterosalpingogram to ascertain the patency of their fallopian tubes, after any abdominal procedure where doubt arises.
For the Health Minister to suggest that such abuse cannot be done as there are nurses, labourers and anaesthetists in the theatre, indicates he has no idea how a surgeon performs his work.
The Department of Health has a huge responsibility to address this issue forthwith, with utmost diligence, and to set in place definite plans to prevent such abuse by doctors misguided by religious extremism. In fact, such steps should be extended to cover all intra-abdominal operations on women.
The complaints received by the Kurunegala Teaching Hospital regarding the conceiving complications which appeared following the caesarean sections performed by Dr. Mohamed Shafi have risen to 120.
On May 26th, the Police urged the public to come forward with any complaints of Dr. Seigu Siyabdeen Mohamed Shafi having carried out illegal sterilization.
69 complaints were lodged against Dr. Shafi yesterday (28), while 50 were received during the course of today.
Meanwhile, as of this morning (29), 11 complaints have been received by the Dambulla Base Hospital concerning complications in conceiving after being treated by Dr. Shafi during caesarean surgeries.
Dambulla Police stated that all the complaints that are filed against Dr. Shafi are being directed to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
42-year-old Dr. Shafi was arrested on Friday (24) over earning assets through suspicious means. It was reported that he is a member of Minister Rishad Bathiudeen’s All Ceylon Makkal Congress (ACMC) and had contested the last General Election from the Kurunegala District under the UNP.
He was later handed over to the CID for further investigations.
The Health Ministry yesterday (28) appointed a six-member committee, which consists of doctors specializing in obstetrics and gynaecology, to investigate the activities of Dr. Mohamed Shafi.
Allegations are levelled against him that he had performed numerous illegal sterilization on mothers who underwent C-sections during their first delivery.
The Health Ministry today (29) stated that the committee has commenced probing the allegations against Dr. Shafi and a report on the preliminary investigations will be submitted within a week, Acting Director General of Health Services Dr. Lal Panapitiya said.
He advised pregnant mothers not to have any undue fears regarding pregnancy clinics at hospitals.
Despite the forewarnings given to former Defence Secretary and the Inspector General of Police on possible terrorist attacks at several places in the country, the National Security Council was not convened until after Easter attacks took place, says Chief of State Intelligence Service of Sisira Mendis.
Prior to the attacks, the Security Council last assembled on February 19th, the State Intelligence Chief stated testifying before the Special Parliamentary Select Committee probing the attacks on Easter Sunday.
Defence Secretary General (Rtd) Shantha Kottegoda was also summoned to today’s meeting to testify before the Select Committee.
The inaugural meeting of the Special Parliamentary Committee commenced at 9.00 a.m. this morning (29).
The Committee should produce its report either within 03 months from its inaugural meeting or before the completion of the 03 months on a date set by the parliament. Its interim report is to be submitted within a two weeks’ time period.
On May 23rd, Speaker Karu Jayasuriya announced the members of the Special Select Committee, chaired by Deputy Speaker Ananda Kumarasinghe, appointed to probe and report on the coordinated terrorist attacks that took place on April 21.
It would appear, Rishad Bathiudeen MP, Minister for Industry and Commerce, Resettlement of Protracted Displaced Persons, Co-operative Development, Vocational Training and Skills Development and leader of the All Ceylon Makkal Congress (ACMC), a constituent party of the UNF government is more powerful than even some of the senior members of the governing party.
The remaining 224 miserable specimens in the House by Diyawanna are currently embroiled in a tug of war. They are trying to decide if the No Confidence Motion (NCM) against the government or Bathiudeen (RB) is of greater importance.
The government losing the NCM will have little or no impact. Whereas the government will have to resign, the President will have to re-appoint the same lot due to the poisonous 19th Amendment which prohibits the dissolution of Parliament for four and a half years.
The ruling party is keen to conclude a Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) investigation into allegations against the minister before entertaining an NCM. A whitewashed report by a PSC dominated by government MPs will weaken the impact of the NCM, based on RB’s alleged links to the suicide bombers of the Easter Sunday carnage. He vehemently denies the charge.
Parliamentarian Wijedasa Rajapakshe has stated in Parliament that the blood of the victims of the recent Islamic terror attacks was on the hands of all the Ministers and UNP MP Mujibur Rahman who refused to take note of his early warnings regarding the Islamic State (IS) members in Sri Lanka. His warning in November 2016 while being Justice Minister, of 32 Sri Lankan Muslims leaving the island to join ISIS was rejected and ridiculed by members of the ruling party and Muslim MPs.
Muslim community leaders insist they provided early warnings of the jihadist terrorist group National Thowheed Jamath (NTJ), supposedly ignored by senior government officials. Muslim MPs did not support Minister Rajapakshe’s assertions in 2016. Community leaders do not seem to have shared their valuable information with their elected representatives. If not, the MPs have remained silent for reasons best known to them.
Notwithstanding the minister’s denials, some serious charges have been leveled against him by the Joint Opposition, now available in the public domain. Two such charges are;
The minister’s brother Rifkan Bathiudeen has driven past two army checkpoints in a vehicle bearing registration WP KK 3572 with the state emblem and VIP sticker. He was subsequently discovered in a house owned by RB, detained and released without being produced in court due to political pressure.
RB has confirmed he contacted Army Commander Mahesh Senanayake to inquire of the son of Muslim Affairs Ministry Advisor Jainudeen, arrested by the army and handed over to the Terrorist Investigation Division. According to media reports, Muslim Affairs Minister Haleem’s staff had confirmed there had been no Jainudeen in the minister’s staff. An advisor by the name of Moinudeen had resigned in April or May. Was the minister assisting Jainudeen or Moinudeen? Was it a slip between the cup and the lip? RB claims he contacted the army commander on the advice of State Minister of Defense Ruwan Wijewardene who seems to be playing politics. He has neither confirmed nor denied the claim to date.
The Minister has stated in Parliament, “I did not pressure the Commander, and never asked the Commander to release any individual either.” Nevertheless, any intelligent person would wonder, why would Senanayake make a statement, “call back in one and half years, as that is the period, I can hold a suspect for.”
Bathiudeen is no stranger to controversy. In 2012, he was accused of threatening the Mannar District Court Judge and Magistrate Anthony Pillai Judeson over the latter’s order to arrest a group of his supporters. As the controversy evolved, a part of the court was set on fire. According to reports, the Judge supposedly received threatening telephone calls from the minister to change his verdict failing which ‘the Mannar court would be torched.’ The calls, allegedly originating from the minister’s mobile phone, was denied and subsequently attributed to his brother. This minister’s siblings seem to have a way with ministerial phones and vehicles. After much brouhaha, the matter died a natural death. RB continued as a Minister. Nothing is heard of Judge Judeson since.
All this happened under the watch of the Rajapaksa administration who failed to rein in the minister, for political reasons. Similar to the situation currently unfolding, it was yet another instance of bowing to the ACMC vote base.
The current ruling party is not in favor of investigating the leader of their constituent partner, ACMC. They claim JO is attempting to avenge his failure to support the October 26 putsch.
RG’s power is such, despite all these happenings, no statement has been recorded from him by the authorities in relation to Easter Sunday bombings and post April 21 developments.
Meanwhile, Bathiudeen has ‘bowled a doosra’ by stating he would resign if requested by the President or Prime Minister.
RB is aware, neither of these worthies, about to contest both Presidential and Parliamentary elections within the next 18 months will make any such request. Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa too has not signed the NCM.
All of them treasure the ACMC vote base over the safety and security of this nation and its citizens.
Resigning till investigations are completed seem to be the stock of the likes of the Marapanas, Rajapakshes, and Karunanayakes.
A different set of rules seem to apply to the Vijayakala Maheshwarans and Bathiudeens.
Chief of National Intelligence (CNI) DIG Sisira Mendis yesterday told the Special Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC), probing the Easter Sunday carnage, that though he briefed the then Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando on the impending terrorist attack, the National Security Council (NSC) had not met till the coordinated suicide bombings took place on April 21.
Mendis said that he had received information about the impending attacks the previous day from Nilantha Jayawardena, Director, State Intelligence Service (SIS).
Mendis said that Fernando had advised him to inform the IGP as the police should act on such information.
Mendis revealed that the warning of the attacks has not even been discussed at the regular intelligence coordinating meeting attended by Defence Secretary Fernando, Lt. Gen. Mahesh Senanayake, Air Marshal Kapila Jayampathy, Vice Admiral Piyal de Silva and IGP Pujitha Jayasundera.
Mendis said that he had informed the IGP in writing about the warning with a note emphasizing its importance.
According to him, the NSC last met on Feb 19, 2019 before the April 21 suicide bombings.
The live coverage provided to the proceedings were suspended suddenly before the lunch break. Acting PSC Chairman Dr. Jayampathy Wickremaratne described the suspension as a privilege issue.
Defence Secretary Gen Shantha Kottegoda, retired, yesterday told the Special Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) probing the Easter Sunday carnage that the April 21 suicide bombings could have been averted had extremist organizations been proscribed on the basis of intelligence reports received in 2014.
President Maithripala Sirisena on April 21 appointed Kottegada as the Secretary to the Ministry of Defence in the wake of suicide bombings. One-time Army Chief succeeded Hemasiri Fernando.
The sittings continued till 4.15 pm in the Committee Room 1 of the Parliamentary Complex and journalists were allowed to cover them.
Gen. Kottegoda was the first witness to testify before the PSC.
The Committee is required to produce its report either within three months from its inaugural meeting or before the completion of the three months on a date set by the parliament. Its interim report is to be submitted within two weeks.
Speaker Karu Jayasuriya, on May 23, announced the members of the Special Select Committee, chaired by Deputy Speaker Ananda Kumarasinghe, appointed to probe and report on the coordinated terrorist attacks that took place on April 21.
The committee also includes Minister Rauff Hakeem, MP Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka, Minister Ravi Karunanayake, MP Ashu Marasinghe, MP Jayampathy Wickramaratne and MP M.A. Sumanthiran.
However, three PSC members including its Chairman Deputy Chairman Ananda Kumarasiri were out of the country. Dr. Rajitha Senaratne and TNA MP M A Sumanthiran were abroad. Dr. Jayampathy Wickremaratne chaired the PSC.
UNP MP Kavinda Jayawardena was also appointed as a committee member, but a day later he decided to step down from the committee.
Health Minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratne and JVP MP Nalinda Jayatissa were later appointed as committee members.
Gen Kottegoda asserted that 99 per cent of the threat was over though the situation couldn’t be tackled completely within two or three months.
Field Marshal Fonseka said that DIG Nalaka de Silva of the terrorist Investigation Division (TID) had been engaged in investigations after having inquired into Zahran Hasim, one of the suicide bombers.
Gen Kottegoda said that he had not studied what Nalaka de Silva said. The arrest of such a person could be a problem, the witness said.
Field Marshal Fonseka said that following the arrest of de Silva, investigations had been affected.
The next session of the PSC is scheduled to be held from 3 to 9 pm on June 4.
The PSC decided to summon IGP Pujitha Jayasundera currently on compulsory leave, former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando, DIG, CID, Ravi Seneviratne and Director, TID.
Claiming that the police failed to implement the law against those responsible for the Easter Sunday terror attacks, MP Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe had requested President Maithripala Sirisena to hand over investigations into the incident to an independent team comprising honest and trustworthy officials of the police department.
In a letter to the President, he said the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), had undertaken investigations into several incidents such as vandalising Buddhist statues and recovering explosives, but had neglected to report them to court.
The investigations into the incident of vandalising Buddhist statues in Mawanella, attacking a Hindu Kovil in Pothuhera, Alawwa and attacking a church in Penideniya have been handed over to the CID. On information received from the investigations, a training camp operated by terrorist Zahran was found in Wanathawilluwa and a stock of explosives recovered. The two suspects – Insaf Ahmed and Ilham Ahmed – who were the suicide bombers of Shangri-La and Cinnamon Grand hotels, were earlier arrested in connection with the Mawanella incident, but Minister Rishad Bathiudeen and Western Province Governor Azath Salley had forced the CID to release them. It was revealed that they were released as a result of undue political influence without them being produced in court. In case the matter had been taken up by the judiciary, then the attacks could have been averted,” he said.
Also, he said the CID failed to report to court the incident where two bomb-laden motorbikes were detonated on April 16 in Kattankudy.
Top officials of the CID should be held responsible for its irresponsibility and inactivity to prevent the terrorist attacks despite ample opportunities to do so. Justice cannot be expected by handing over investigations to the CID that acted short-sightedly on the devastation. Although it is the responsibility of the IGP and all OICs to report to the Magistrate’s Court soon after a criminal incident occurs, it is serious that they failed to take any action even after a month. On April 28, I complained to the OICs of Kollupitiya, Fort, Katana, Weralabada, Batticaloa and the Police Relief Centre on the incident but no action had been taken so far,” he said. (
Thilini de Silva and Ranjan Katugapola Courtesy The Daily Mirror
Inspector General of Police Pujith Jayasundara in a Fundamental Rights Petition filed before the Supreme Court today pleaded for an interim order preventing the President from dismissing him from office.
The Petition said that the order by the President to send Jayasundara on compulsory leave had violated his Fundamental Rights. The Petition urged the suspension of the order made by the President to send IGP Jayasundara on compulsory leave.
The Petition named the Acting IGP, members of the Constitutional Council, the Prime Minister and the Attorney General as respondents. )
Opposition MP Mahindananda Aluthgamage today said some vested parties; both local and international wanted to get the state of emergency lifted when the security situation has not yet been fully restored.
Addressing a news briefing held at the Opposition Leader’s office, the MP said the government had been pressurized by the western countries to lift the emergency.
At the most recent party leaders meeting, which held under the chair of Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa, we discussed as to how some ministers have urged the government to get the emergency law lifted. We can’t allow this when the security has not yet been fully restored,” he said.
While stating that they were not against the extension of emergency, the MP however said it was the duty of the government to get the extension passed in parliament. They brought it in parliament and it is their duty and responsibility to get it passed,” the MP said responding to criticisms as to why the Opposition was not keen on supporting the extension of emergency in parliament.
Our stance is that the emergency law should not be lifted. But it’s the government which should get it passed,” he reiterated.
The extension of emergency law was passed in the parliament with only 22 MPs voting for it. The eight TNA MPs voted against the extension.(
All Ceylon Islam Advisor Moulavi Alhaj Kaleel says when Zahran’s brother, Rilwan was making bombs, they informed the authorities.
Following are excerpts of the interview:
Moulavi will you tell us about your background?
A: I am an All Ceylon Islam Advisor. People in many areas know of me if you mention Kaleel Moulavi. The Muslim community across the country have come and met me to discuss any problem regarding the religion of Islam.
Are you someone who belongs to any organisation?
A: No, I am involved in religious affairs.
Are you connected to the Jamiyyathul Ulama Organisation?
A: No, I don’t let their politics rub off on me. We do work with political divisions too. That is done with the advice of the Jamiyyathul Ulama.
Who pays you for the work you do?
A: No one. I work voluntarily. I am doing social service for the country.
You are aware that our country went up in flames. The Sinhalese, Buddhists, Catholics, Tamils, Hindus, all those people faced a disaster. We do not know anything. How did Muslim extremists suddenly fall onto the heads of the people?
A: This is the question today. The entire world is shocked. Let me explain a bit. There are three types of Muslim devotees. I am saying this according to the book, the Quran. One is Mumin, those who live with great faith. They believe that profits, losses, happiness, and sadness happen according to the will of God. There is no point in embracing these since they are temporary. They believe that it is similar to a drop of dew on a blade of grass.
The other type is Muslim. They do what is convenient for them. They give up whatever they cannot do. If they cannot go to the mosque every day, they give that up. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said not to harm anyone by either your tongue or hands. They live, minding their own business. They are Muslim.
The third type is Munafiq. They act like Mumins and Muslims. They wear the hat and grow their beards. They have no faith at all in their minds. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) engaged in war with Munafiq people. They are the ones who fanned the flames. Their objective always is how to attack all the time.
Are you trying to say that those who carried out the attacks were Munafiqs?
A: Sri Lankan citizens should be clear that those belonging to this type are the Munafiq terrorists. Their objective is to eradicate Islam.
The citizens of this country do not know those things. It is the Moulavis who know about these segregations. What we know is that these extremist bombers are of the Muslim religion only. We have not seen any segregation or any divisions among the Muslims in this country?
A: There are never ending clashes between us. I am a man who clashed with them. There were arguments between us all the time.
Did you know the extremist Zahran Hashim?
A: I knew Zahran Hashim very well. When he sees me somewhere, he flees. If he hears that I am somewhere, he does not sight the place. There were arguments between us inside mosques. There were times when we hit and clashed with each other.
We got to know about a Zahran after 21 April only. You said you knew about him. Why did you not hand him over to the law enforcement authorities?
A: They did not attack Christians, but the Muslims. These terrorists who killed 250 persons have gone after assassinating the characters of more than 2.5 million Muslim people. If, on a Friday they jumped into a mosque with bombs, people would have had compassion regarding Muslims. If we were attacked, assistance would have come from other countries as well. They attacked places where all Sinhalese, Tamils, and Christians gather together. The entire country fell out with us. They looked at us with squints in their eyes.
Zahran had gone all over the country to hold lectures. Not on his own, but having set up a separate organisation. We cannot accept the fact that Muslim Leaders did not know about these things?
A: It was not a religion, it was a revolution. The word Thowheed” is not a terrorist word. It means oneness. They put this word in order to catch the Muslims. We realized that.
We did not see this opposition among Muslims, you are targeting them with now, prior to the bomb blasts in Sri Lanka. It is after that incident that you are saying these things. We saw how the Thowheed organisations were tied to Islam?
A: We had small differences among us regarding observances. We raised our hands and wished. They did not raise their hands. We clashed regarding these observances and rituals. But when it came to suicide bombing, we shouted and took to the streets.
Where was this battle against National Thowheed Jamaath you are talking about held? When did you take to the streets?
A: In August 2017 at Kattankudy. The Mayor of Kattankudy, Aswer knows about it. When Zahran brought materials to manufacture bombs, we took to the streets. We said he was going to set fire to the country and that Zahran was a terrorist and he had to be cornered. We put up posters asking that he be taken into custody immediately. 1,500 men and women took to the streets. No one listened.
Are you saying that the overall Muslim people lined up in protest against them? We did not see anything of the sort?
A: They were not publicised properly. We never thought that these fellows will do something so bad. We did not realise that they would kill themselves while killing 250 others. We thought that bombs would be exploded here and there and something similar to that will take place. We did have a hint that they will do something. We immediately informed intelligence divisions, but they did not take any notice. They did not capture them. They thought ‘Thambiya’ let them kill each other.
The story you are relating is being said by other Muslims too. We informed authorities, but those responsible did not take any action. Whom did you inform that such a dangerous situation will arise?
A: We informed the NIB. When I went to meet the Mayor of Kattankudy, Aswer, an officer of the Intelligence Division was seated in a chair opposite me. We clearly explained this dangerous situation.
We are hearing all of this only after approximately 300 lives were destroyed. Can you prove that you informed the Sri Lanka Police about Zahran and others?
A: We informed Intelligence Divisions, but nothing happened.
Did you tell regional Muslim Leaders about this?
A: All regional Muslim Leaders were aware of what was going to happen.
But we got to know that bombs were being manufactured on a large scale, only in 2017. Then we took to the streets fearlessly. Previously, we were scared to do so.
When in 2017?
A: In the month of August in 2017. I can get the exact date from Mayor Aswer and give it to you.
There were Ministers and Deputy Ministers in the Eastern Province. Did you not inform Rauff Hakeem, Rishad Bathiudeen, and Hizbullah about this danger?
A: There was nothing to inform them about, all of them were aware of it. Had they not known, could we 1,500 take to the streets and protest? We engaged in the protests together with them.
What we want to know, is who the people are whom you informed?
A: I, finally told the FCID about this too.
The FCID is the Financial Crimes Investigation Division?
A: This was not a situation where we could watch and wait and we had to inform someone.
Can you give us the name of the officer who noted down your complaint?
A: Actually, I did not ask his name. I explained everything and gave a statement. I told them to kill them if they were seen anywhere.
Who is ‘this particular person’ your mention?
A: Zahran. It was said that the entire generation of Zahran’s could be destroyed. It was also said that he would be killed and the body dragged on to the road, so that the Police could take it away.
The respondent to this crime is the National Thowheed Jamaath Organisation. It was an organisation that was built among the Muslims.
What was the action taken against this organisation by Muslim Leaders?
A: There were only 24 suicide bombers. I am saying with responsibility that 12 died. 12 are in custody. There is no one remaining and all of them are finished.
Are you saying that there were 24 suicide bombers?
Were you not aware of the fact that training camps were being maintained in Kattankudy?
A: Why not, we did know! We went and told the Police.
Did you show them?
A: We told them earlier and asked them to come that we will capture them for the Police, we said. No one came.
Are you alleging that the Government did not fulfil their responsibilities?
A: The Government and authorities, did not do their duty. They waited until the bombs exploded, to attack.
What have you got to say about swords being found in mosques?
A: That is the work of terrorist members. They brought swords, left them at mosques, and showed everybody.
To cut whom were the swords brought?
A: The swords were brought to attack the Muslims. Our honour is finished.
Swords were found not only in Kattankudy. They were discovered at Kollupitiya and a mosque in Slave Island?
A: There are 1,700 mosques. There were swords only in three of them. There were 48 new swords which had been brought from a foreign country.
Why were they brought?
A: You have to ask them. Swords were brought to attack us.
Minister Haleem says they were brought to cut grass and for the protection of female children. Now, you are saying that they were brought to attack Muslims. What are these stories?
A: They are mad stories!
You say without a doubt that these swords were brought to kill Muslims?
A: Not to kill them, but to attack the Muslims. To get rid of Islam. They destroyed our good name.
Sinhala people thought that these swords were collected in mosques in order to attack them. That is why the entire country became agitated. You are saying something else?
A: We say with responsibility that these swords were brought to attack Muslims and Islam. We have never taken up arms and will never do so either, nor will we allow others to do so. There is nothing we can win by fighting with weapons. We enjoy everything and live in this country. Why should we fight?
What is the connection between the sword and Islam?
A: There is no connection at all. However, there are images of swords on the Saudi flag, that is all. We have nothing to do with swords.
Were Muslim Religious Leaders aware of the fact that Zahran and others were connected to ISIS?
A: We knew that they were making bombs and were going to detonate them and kill themselves. We did not know that Zahran had any connection with ISIS, though.
It was reported previously that a group from Galewela had gone to Syria for combat training. Had Muslim Leaders identified that the connection between these incidents and Zahran’s procedures?
A: We did not know anything about that.
There is much controversy in the country that Muslim politicians such as Rishad Bathiudeen and Hizbullah had contact with these extremists?
A: That was what Intelligence Divisions found out. Let them give a proper reply. Investigations will be carried out, and if they are involved, punishing them is a task for authorities.
It seems as if you are engaged avoiding something very slightly?
A: I am not avoiding anything. I have no connections whatsoever with politicians.
At the time when 1,500 people took to the streets in protest of extremists at Kattankudy, was Deputy Minister Hizbullah involved in it?
A: We are aware of their conspiracies. We do not engage in discussions with them. They could put us in trouble too. I know about politicians from the time of former Minister Ashraff. I have nothing to do with them.
You do associate politicians. You know government authorities. But, even while knowing about this destruction ahead of time, you failed to prevent it?
A: I informed the President and the Prime Minister in writing. I informed intelligence divisions.
Can you give us copies of those letters?
A: They were published in the newspapers. Details were given in the Media.
When did Rilwan, the brother of Zahran, suffer an injury to his hand when a bomb exploded?
A: In February 2019. Even then we informed authorities that bombs were being manufactured. Rilwan suffered injuries and went blind in one eye.
Did the Kattankudy Police know about this?
A: Yes, they knew very well. It was officer Kasthuri of the Police there. You can write down the name.
Didn’t they take any action?
A: I do not know what sort of influence was brought to bear on them. They just ate and drank and gave up on everything.
With whom did you say that they ate and drank?
A: I meant they just ate and drank and did not carry out any investigations and swallowed up everything.
Are you making this allegation about the Police?
A: Overall, all the authorities. Both ruling and opposition parties.
When Zahran’s younger brother Rilwan was injured in the bomb blast, where was he taken?
A: I do not know that. Finally, he died too. When the house was raided, he detonated a bomb at Saindamarudu. Three of our people who gave the tip-off were rewarded with 3 million rupees by the Government. We gave back that money to be used on behalf of those who suffered due to the bombs and their welfare activities.
When Zahran disappeared from Kattankudy, did you not try to find out what happened to him?
A: Why not! We informed authorities daily of the places he was in. We told the Police. Since they did not take any steps, this disaster occurred. That is why we feel sad. Now, they are accusing us.
Now the destruction has already taken place. Even though you say you informed everybody, even the Muslim Community could not prevent it from happening. As a newspaper we are questioning these things since we cannot allow such a disaster to strike our people ever again?
A: Nothing like this will ever happen from Muslim Society.
Parliamentarian Ven. Athuraliye Rathana Thera alleged that the transfer of Colombo Municipal Commissioner V.K.A. Anura took place due to the intervention of Western Province Governor, Azath Salley.
Addressing the Media in Rajagiriya today (29), he claimed that Anura has been told by Salley to extend the deadlines of tenders to operate meat shops in Colombo, even though deadlines have expired. Salley had sent a letter to Anura with regard to the extension of tenders and the latter had in turn replied to Salley saying that the extensions could not be done, and that such is against the due tender procedure,” he further alleged.
He also claimed that Anura had been advised to do the same on a number of occasions by Salley.
Anura too was present at the Media briefing, but did not make any statements, saying that he has been told not to make any statements regarding the transfer for legal reasons.
The Muslim community in Madatugama, Kekirawa has demolished a mosque belonging to the National Thowheed Jama’ath (NTJ), says Ada Derana correspondent.
The chief of the main mosque M.H.M. Akbar Khan stated that the mosque in question, funded by a foreign organization, was erected with the support of a resident in the village on a plot of land allotted to establish a library for children.
However, considering the situation prevailing in the country, the administrative committee of the main mosque in the village has decided that having another mosque in the village is uncalled for.
The plaque of the NTJ’s mosque, engraved with Arabic letters and purportedly bears the names of those who sponsored the establishment of the mosque, was also demolished by the villagers,
The Muslim villagers stated that they had maintained close relations with the Sinhalese neighbours for quite a long time and that the decision to demolish the mosque was unanimously approved by the Muslim community in the area.
The Media Director of the Ministry of Finance Mohamed Ali Hassan, who was arrested today (29) over possession of 12-bore gun ammunition, has been released by the police following interrogations, Police Media Spokesperson SP Ruwan Gunasekara.
93 rounds of 12-bore gun ammunition were recovered this morning, from the outdoor space of his residence at Malwana area in Biyagama.
The Army and the Police had carried out a joint cordon and search in the area.
The security forces have managed to recover the haul from the upper part of the patio of his residence, according to the police.
The Finance Ministry’s media director was arrested on the spot for further questioning.
SP Gunasekara further stated that an Assistant Superintendent of Police had inspected the location extensively.
The police have sought the Attorney General’s advice on the incident.
It was reported that the said piece of land, where the ammunition was recovered, belongs to his father-in-law, who had been in possession of a licensed firearm.
Sixty-five more mothers who had their Caesarian surgeries under Dr. Mohamed Shafi of Kurunegala Hospital have filed complaints against the doctor today (28). Accordingly, 116 complaints have been received from mothers claiming that they had not conceived children following a Caesarian surgery by the doctor.
The mother who delivered through Caesarean surgeries under Dr. Mohamed Shafi submitted their complaints to the Kurunegala Teaching Hospital since this morning.
Fifty-one complaints against Dr. Mohamed Shafi were submitted to the hospitals yesterday (27).
Ten mothers who had been treated under the said doctor while he was serving at the Dambulla Base Hospital lodged their complaints at the Dambulla Police and the hospital, today.
The coordinating officer of the Kurunegala Teaching Hospital stated that mother from Dambulla area can submit their complaints against Dr. Shafi to the Kurunegala hospital as well.
Meanwhile, the Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) has rejected the 6-member committee appointed by the Health Ministry to investigate the activities of Dr. Mohamed Shafi.
The doctors’ and nurses’ trade unions of the Kurunegala Hospital has informed the Hospital Director that they would not assist the committee appointed by the Health Ministry on their investigations against Dr. Shafi.
Parliamentarian S. B. Dissanayake states that the committee to investigate activities of Dr. Mohamed Shafi has been appointed by the Health Ministry to cover up the truth.
He says that although the relevant doctor is perceived by many to be a specialist on obstetrics and gynecology, he is not so. Instead, he is only a normal doctor with the title ‘Senior House Officer’, said Dissanayake.
Stating that there are over 50 complaints against the doctor, the MP said that he queried several senior surgeons in the country to learn that further pregnancies can easily be prevented by firmly pressing several points of the Fallopian Tube.
Therefore, Governor Asath Salley should not run his mouth without checking up on the facts, Dissanayaka further stated.
Kattankudy is a town in Batticoloa in Eastern Province of Sri Lanka
where only Muslims live. Why is multiculturalism & national integration
not applicable to Kattankudy? How is it that the nomenclatures of
multiculturalism, peaceful coexistence, secularism is applicable to all, other
than Muslim majority countries or in Muslim majority areas? How is it that
wherever and whenever an area becomes majority Muslim only extremist
fundamentalist and strict Islam prevails? It is visibly clear that wherever
minorities become a majority it is only their will that rules – their dress, their
culture, their religious practices, their habits is what prevails and all
others who want to live with them in harmony have to silently accept, not make
any fuss or shift to another town. Kattankudy is the example of what happens to
a town with only Muslims. Where minorities are a minority they demand on par
status & once on par they work towards becoming the majority using
surreptitious methods to influence politicians and local authorities. Incrementally,
Kattankudy cannot happen to other towns and it is time Sri Lanka’s leaders stop
compromising the historical ethos and heritage for votes, power and personal
handouts. The people of Kattankudy practice a culture foreign to the culture of
Sri Lanka even Muslims who wish to follow the heritage culture are under
pressure by those following a stricter & foreign form of Islam. This is
nothing that can be ignored in the face of increasing Jihadist terrorism
associated with this stricter form of Islam spreading to other parts of the
island influencing wherever Muslims are the majority.
How was Kattankudy created?
The Unionist Association of
Ceylon assisted the Delimitation Commission in the allocation of electorates to
the State Council under the Donoughmore Constitution when it decided to divide
the Eastern Province into 2 electorates. It was the Unionist Association’s
proposal that ended up creating Kattankudy. UAC President was SWRD Bandaranaike
& Vice President Sir Marcus Fernando.
Kattankudy is just 6sq.km of land
and inland water and has 18 grama niladari divisions for the 18 villages.
As per 2016 statistics, the
population of Kattankudy is just 47,603 (13,757 families)
Vote-bank politics discriminating majority giving unconstitutional
privileges to minority
The constitution is clear that all citizens must be treated equally. Before the law, every citizen must be given equal justice. There can be only one law for all.
However, politicians have diluted this. When the Proportional Representation system was introduced the initial cut off point for any party to qualify for parliamentary representation was 12.5% but Ranasinghe Premadasa reduced the cut-off point to 5% on a request made by M H M Ashraff of the SLMC before the 1988 elections. The reduction was with political intent and resulted in ethnic-based political parties with ethnic-based agendas to enter parliament and legislatively weaken & destabilize Sri Lanka incrementally to what it is today.
Not only are minorities accommodated by the mainstream political parties, but minorities representing ethnic-based political parties shrewdly align with the political parties to contest as an alliance and then demand a minority seat and a cabinet portfolio. The reduction of entry to Parliament from 12.5% to 5% is solely responsible for bringing to parliament MPs who are not representing the country or even the minority they claim to represent.
Where Muslims are majority – Muslim-Muslim conflict surfaces
Kattankudy though occupied by
only Muslims is not in total harmony. Rise in Sufi mysticism has resulted in
militant opposition in East – Kattankudy & Maruthamunai since 1980s.
In 2004 Sufi tombs and shrines
were destroyed and Sufi leaders had to flee province. In 2009, Sufi &
Towheed tensions arose in Beruwela. In Kattankudy Sufi leader Rauf Maulavi who
had formed the All Ceylon Islamic Spiritual Movement was declared an apostate
by the All Ceylon Jamiyatul Ulama in 1979 and Rauf was chased out of Kattankudy
in 2006 & in December the shrine of Sufi leader late Sheikh Abdullah
Payilvan (founder of Thareekatul Mufliheen) was attacked & his corpse
barred from burial in Kattankudy.
It was on 21 September 1982 that A H M Ashraff established the Sri Lana
Muslim Congress in Kattankudy (Batticoloa district) though he was from
Samanthurai (Ampara district)
Ironically Ashraff spoke at ITAK meetings in 1970s and was even present
at the Vaddukoddai Conference in May 1976 when the Vaddukoddai Resolution was
passed for a separate Tamil state.
Not surprisingly Ashraff formed the Muslim
United Liberation Front in 1977 on the same lines boasting that even if
Amirthalingam abandoned Eelam goal he (Ashraff) would not. Ashraff was MULF’s
legal advisor. MULF however did not win a single seat & Ashraff left MULF
to join SLFP in 1980 when TULF refused to accommodate Muslims to contest under
TULF banner.
When Muslims & Tamils showed such close allegiance why did Prabakaran ruthlessly and mercilessly attack Muslims inside the Kattankudy mosque in 1990. Could it not be that Prabakaran realized that Ashraff and Co were having larger plans for Eastern Province from the Tamil Eelam goal? Is it not because Rajiv Gandhi himself had other plans that he too was eliminated by Prabakaran!
An ‘alien image identity’ root
cause of disharmony & self-alienation by Muslims
It was during this period that a creation of a Muslim identity
resulted in wearing burka, hijab, beards, missionary campaigns, new mosques and
louder demands using their leverage in business and UN/Western human rights
nomenclatures. All these were part of fundamentalist POLITICAL ISLAM that drew
Muslims automatically because ‘Islam’ associated with it. No one questioned its
conflict with Sinhala majority culture or heritage.
It was in 2013 that Dr. Ameer Ali
highlighted the reality that Muslims were self-alienating themselves from the mainstream community because of a
new image problem. There can be no better example than Kattankudy to prove this.
Is the orthodox brand of imported Islam the cause of the alienation?
Dr. Ameer Ali says the new dress, new values and practices are the root cause and advises Muslimsto self-introspect & ask themselves whether they want to be Muslims of Sri Lanka or Muslims in Sri Lanka.
Dr. Ameer Ali takes Kattankudy to highlight
the self-alienation an area
of just 6sq.km has 58 mosques – planting of date palms in the middle of the
road to look like Arabia, halal slaughter, the black dress he says is alien to
Sri Lanka and has nothing to do with Islam. He confirms that women of the 1970s
wore saris. So why are women adopting this ‘confrontational image of Islam’
knowing that women did not dress in this manner earlier?
In short what it means is that anyone dressed in black attire, long fluffy beards, demanding shariah, marrying children, halal, ritual slaughter, expansion of Islamic territory (Islamization) etc are those practicing confrontational extremist Islam. It’s now upto the Muslims to remove this from society! Will they? is a question they must now answer.
Its Islam – but distortion of Islamic Scriptures
Why are
Muslims ‘misreading Islamic scriptures’ – who is at fault for teaching them
radicalized scriptures knowing this would result in extremism and conflict with
the majority community whilst isolation Muslims? Why are Muslims inviting these
radicals from Middle East to address and influence Muslims if Muslims are well
aware that these are the elements leading to disharmony? Muslims should know
which brand of Islam to follow but why are they following a militant form of
Islam?
Can Muslims counter these extremisms which are inherently part of Islam?
When new aspects
of self-alienation imported from Middle East funding radicalism in the East became
known the previous government was quick to set up 2 intelligence units to
monitor extremism though both units had been disbanded and the officers heading
them put into prison by the present government for reasons best known to them!
The extremism and the inability to integrate when towns become turned into Kattankudy is primarily due to the Islamic fundamentalism rooted in Wahhabi Islam (stricter Quran and Hadis) This different form of Islam is not only a threat to non-Muslims but to Muslims as well and Sufi’s will guarantee this.
EasterSunday
attacks was masterminded in Kattankudy. The hate for non-Muslims (though
historical) was encouraged because everyone in Kattankudy are Muslims and the
radical preachers of hate find the environment easy to brainwash against
non-Muslims. Same thing in practiced in North Sri Lanka by TNA & LTTE
against the Sinhalese. They don’t want Tamils mixing with the Sinhalese because
ordinary Tamils would discover TNA & LTTE had been lying about the
Sinhalese. Similarly these radical Muslims want all Muslims to hate
non-Muslims. Creating only Muslim cities only facilitates this hate. No ghetto
ethno-religious areas should be allowed. Kattankudy must be made multicultural
as a future national policy just as North Sri Lanka.
No Government should promote any Islam that
is not only dangerous to the country, the majority & the minorities as well
as Muslims not practicing this stricter form of Islam. It is because the
government has taken the side of Muslim leaders who are aligned to this
stricter form of Islam that has led to these Muslim politicians using State
power and patronage to advance their agendas at a national security risk to all
citizens of Sri Lanka.
Muslims
should be able to practice Islam but not Arabian culture or Arabian Islam and
this message must be clearly conveyed.
Many Muslims
are now openly saying that they wish to align to the Sinhala culture while following
their Islamic faith. We have no issues with this.
But, we have
an issue with the new identity that surrounds the stricter form of Islam that
includes Shariah, burka, long beards, marrying children, female genital
mutilation, halal, ritual animal slaughter, proliferation of mosques not built
like mosques, madrassas etc. Having identified these elements that are not
integrating and being the cause of confrontation Muslims must agree to denounce
& remove them.
Going forward Sri Lankan citizens must accept
One Law
must apply to all
Laws
must be equal to all – minorities need not have special laws if before the
Courts, everyone is treated equally.
Remove
ethno-religious political parties or return the parliamentary entry to 5% from
the 12.5% changed in 1988 as a political favor.
No
rejected politician should be taken into parliament or given State portfolios.
No
Government should allow mono-ethnic towns/cities as a National Policy
No Government
should allow the heritage culture of Sri Lanka to be replaced by foreign new
cultures
Remove
the Ministry of Reconciliation/ National Integration – it has served no purpose
Religious
Freedom to worship is a personal freedom & not institutional religious
rights to convert / new cultures are not religious rights
Strict
architectural laws that give rules & regulations for buildings
A
group of pro-active Indian and Sri Lankan Buddhists drawn from leading Buddhist
organizations had a series of discussions on the sidelines of the World
Buddhist Assembly gathering in Bangkok, Thailand (May 21 – 25, 2012) and
decided to establish an ‘Indo – Sri Lanka Buddhist Network’ to pursue a number
of preliminary aims and objectives that are beneficial to the cause of
consolidating and spreading Buddhism in both countries and other parts of the
world. It is anticipated that a more substantial organization would emerge with
the passage of time from these interactions.
The
preliminary aims and objectives of this Buddhist Network are as follows:
i)
To develop and strengthen warm and friendly ties between Buddhists in India and
Sri Lanka,
ii)
To collaborate in Projects leading to the promotion of peace and non – violence,
friendly relations and understanding between peoples of India and Sri Lanka
within a framework of Buddhist principles and shared past in a common Buddhist
civilization that influenced both countries, and
iii)
To work together in propagating and spreading Buddhism worldwide.
The
first of many Projects that are intended to be launched both in India and Sri
Lanka would be the convening of an International Conference in Colombo, Sri
Lanka before the end of 2012 on the topic:
•
‘ The contribution of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar to the revival and renaissance of
Buddhism in the 20th Century ’
Some
of the other intended Projects include –
•
The launch of an international public campaign calling on the Government of Sri
Lanka and other Governments in Buddhist Asia to issue commemorative postage
stamps in honour of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar as a token of appreciation of his immense
contributions to the revival of Buddhism in India
•
The preparation of a public memorandum calling on the promoters of the Nalanda
University Project to include Buddhists from India and Sri Lanka in the
decision making process of this Project, and
•
The formation of an Indo – Sri Lanka Buddhist Media network engaged in capacity
building and exchanges
-DMP-3.jpg)
