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මුස්ලිම් ජන සමාජයේ යුතුකම?
ගෙවිඳු කුමාරතුංග
https://www.facebook.com/yuthukama/videos/439840123512640/
https://www.facebook.com/yuthukama/videos/439840123512640/?v=439840123512640
කුස්සියෙන් එළියක් පෙනෙන නිසා අම්මා පාන්දරම අවදි වී ඉඳි ආප්ප තම්බන බව නුවන්ට වැටහුණි. නිදිගැට කඩාදමමින් කුස්සියට ගිය නුවන් කළයෙන් වතුර ස්වල්පයක් ගෙන කට සෝදා පිළිකන්නේ මිදුලට විසි කළේය. අම්මා ඉඳි ආප්ප වංගෙඩිය තෙරපවමින් ඉදි ආප්ප වට්ටි මතට කවාකාර රැළි එකතු කරමින් උන්නාය.
“කෝ දෙන්න ඕක. අම්මා සම්බෝල ටික හදන්නකො”
“තව ටිකක් නිදා ගන්න පුතේ. මට පුලුවන් මේක කරලා දාන්න. ඉදි ආප්ප 700ක් එපා, 300ක් ඇති කියලා මුදලාලි කිව්වා. තව ටිකයි වක්කරන්න තියෙන්නේ”
දැන් මේ පාරෙ වැඩ කරන මිනිස්සු එන්නෙ නැති නිසා උදේට ඉදි ආප්ප යනවා අඩු ඇති” කියූ නුවන් පොල් ගෙඩියක් බිද පොල් ගෑමට පටන් ගත්තේය.
ඉදි ආප්ප ඇසිරූ කූඩය අතට ගත් අම්මා කඩය දෙසට ලහි ලහියේ පිය මැන්නාය. ඈත ගස් අතරේ සිය මවගේ රුව සැඟව යන තෙක් නුවන් බලා සිටියේ ගෙදර උලු අස්සට තම සිරුරේ බර දෙමිනි. නුවන්ගෙ පියා පිළිකාවක් වැළදී මිය ගොස් දැනට වසර දහයක් ගත වී ඇත. මීට හමසකට පමණ පෙර උසස් පෙළ විභාගයට දෙවනවර පෙනී සිටීමෙන් ලත් ප්රතිඵල සමඟ වෛද්යයවරයෙකු වීම සඳහා වූ නුවන්ගේ පැතුම බිඳ වැටුණි. ඔහුට තිබුනේ සම්මාන සාමාර්ථ 3කි. දැන් ඔහු කරන්නෙ ඉරිදාට ‘සන්ඩේ ඔබ්සවර්’ පුවත් පත මිලට ගෙන එහි ඇති රැකියා අවස්ථාවන් සදහා ඉල්ලුම් පත් යැවීමයි. තෙවන වරට විභාගයට පෙනී සිටීම සදහා සිත නම්මවා ගැනීමට ඔහුට නොහැකිය. කාලයක් තිස්සේ එකතු කළ තම කැටය බිද ලබා ගත් මුදලින් සති පතා පත්තරයටත්, තැපැල් ගාස්තුත් සදහා වියදම් කිරීමෙන් තව ඉතිරිව ඇත්තේ රුපියල් සියයක පමණ මුදලකි.
නුවන් ගෙදර උලුඅස්සට බර දෙමින්, ඊයේ විවෘත්ත කළ අධිවේගී මාර්ගය දෙස බලා සිටියේය. කොළඹ දෙසට වාහන කිහිපයක්ම වේගයෙන් ගමන් කළේය. වෛද්යවරයෙකු වී, අලුත් වාහනයකින්, මේ අලුතින් ඉදිකළ අධිවේගී මාර්ගය ඔස්සේ සිය නිවස බලා ඒමට ආශාවක් නුවන්ගේ සිතේත් නොතිබුණා නොවේ. නමුත් දැන් නුවන්ගේ අනාගතය අවිනිශ්චිතය. වේගයෙන් ගමන් කරන වාහන දකින නුවන්ට තමා ගැන ඇතිවන්නේ කනස්සල්ලකි.
නුවන් තම උදෑසන ආහාර වේලේ පිගානේ ඉතිරි කළ බත් ටිකටම තව බත් ටිකක් දමා හොදින් අනා ගෙන වයිටාට දමනු පිණිස පිළිකන්න දොරෙන් එළියට එත්ම නගුට වනමින් දිව ආ වයිටා නුවන්ගෙ කකුල් ලෙව කෑවේය. වයිටා බත් කන දෙස බලා සිටීම නුවන්ගේ පුරුද්දකි. බත් ටික ගිල දැමූ වයිටාගේ හිස අත ගෑ නුවන්, ඌ වත්ත පහළ වූ දිය කඩිත්ත වෙත ඇද ගෙන ගොස් නහවා දම්මේය.
නමුත් එදා දහවල, නුවන් වයිටාගෙ පිගානට බත් දමා උගේ නම කියා අඩගෑ විට ඌ ආවේ නැත. කොහේ හෝ දඩාවතක ඇවිද හවස් වී ගෙදරට ගාටණු ඇතැයි නුවන්ට සිතුණි. කරන්නට දෙයක් නැති නිසා කම්මැළි කමේ උන් නුවන් ඇඳේ හාන්සි වූයේ තරමක බුදිමතක් ද දැනුණු නිසාවෙනි.
අධි වේගී මාර්ගය දිගේ නුවන් පා පැදියක් පැදගෙන එයි. ඔහුගේ බෙල්ලේ වෙද නලාවක් ද තිබේ. ඔහුගේ ඉදිරියට ලස්සන කාරයක් පැමිණ නැවැත්විය. කාරයේ රියදුරු අසුනේ දොර හැරුණි. ඉන් බිමට බැස්සේ වෙන කෙනෙකු නොව මනීෂායි.
මනීෂා නුවන්ගෙ පන්තියෙම ඉගෙන ගන්නා ලස්සන ගැහැණු ළමයෙකි. නුවන් ඈට ඇලුම් කළේය. නිහතමානි ගති පැවතුම් ඇති මනීෂාද නුවන්ට ඇලුම් කළා විය හැකිය. ඉතා පොහොසත් පවුලක එකියක් වන ඈට තමා ඇලුම් කළද ආලය කරන බව හෝ නොකරන බව හෝ නුවන් දැන සිටියේ නැත.
වාහනයෙන් බැස ගත් මනීෂා සබකෝල, ප්රේමනීය සිනහවක් පාමින් නුවන් දෙසට ඇවිද ආවාය. නුවන් ඇයව පා පැදියට නන්වා ගෙන එය පදින්නන්ට විය. හමා එන සිසිල් සුළඟේ පා වෙන මනීෂාගෙ කෙස්, නුවන් ගෙ මුහුණේ වැදී සුවදායි හැඟුමක් ඔහු සිත තුළ පහළ කළේය. වේගයෙන් ඉදිරියට පැමිණි වාහනයක් පාර හරස් කර නතර කළේය. වාහනයෙන් බැස්සේ ටයි කෝට් ඇඳ සිටි මනීෂාගෙ පියාය. උත්තුංග දේහදාරී ඔහු නුවන් දෙස කෝපයෙන් රවා බලමින් සිටිද්දී ඔහු ගේ දෑස් ගිනි පුළිඟු මෙන් කෝපයෙන් රත් විය. නුවන්ට තමා කළේ බරපතල වරදක්ය යන හැඟීම ඇති වූයේ මහත් බියක්ද සමඟිනි. එක් වරම මනීෂාගෙ පියාගේ දෑසින් පිට වුණු ගිනි පුළිඟු කිහිපයක් නුවන්ගෙ දෙපා මතට වැටුණි. ඒ සමඟම සිය දෙපා දිය වී යන බව නුවන් දුටුවේය. අසරණ වූ නුවන් දෙපා අඩපණව බිම ඇද වැටුණි.
ඔහුට කරකියා ගත යුතු කිසිවක් හිතා ගත නොහැකි විය. ඉෂ්ට දේවතාවකු පහළ වූ සේ තම අයියා එතැනට පැමිණියේය. නිළ ඇඳුමෙන් සැරසී සිටි අයියා දුටු වනම මහත් බියට පත් මනීෂාගෙ පියා බිය වී පළා ගියේය. බිම වැටී සිටින නුවන් දෙස අයියා කරුණාවෙන් බලා සිටියේය. නුවන්ද හිස ඔසවා අයියා දෙස බැලුවේය. අයියා පහත් වී නුවන් දෑතට ඔසවා ගත්තේය. දැන් ඔහු තම මල්ලීද දෑතින් ගෙන ගමන් කරන දසුන සිහියට නගන්නේ නන්දිකඩාල් කලපුවේ දෙමළ ආච්චි කෙනෙකු ඔසවා ගෙන ගමන් කළ රණ විරුවාගෙ ප්රකට පින්තූරයයි. අයියා නුවන්ව ඔසවාගෙන ගෙදරට ගියේය. අම්මා දිව ආවාය. අයියා අම්මාට නුවන් භාර දී නොපෙනී ගියේය.
අම්මාගේ අතට යනවාත් සමඟම නුවන් කුඩා දරුවෙකු වී ඇත. අම්මා නුවන් තුරුලු කර ගෙන කිරි පොවන්නට විය. නුවන් අම්මාගෙ කිරි උරා බීවේ තම හිතේ පවතින දුකත් අසරණ කමත් තුරන් කර ගැනුමටය. ඇගේ උණුසුම තුළ නුවන්ට දැනෙන්නේ ආරක්ෂිත බවකි. තම සිතේ පවතින දුක නිසා නුවන් තව තවත් අම්මාට තුරුල් වෙමින් කිරි බොන්නට විය. නුවන් කිරි උරා බොත්ම අම්මා ටිකෙන් ටික වැහැරෙන බව නුවන්ට දැනුණි. දැන් නුවන් කිරි බීම නතර කළ යුතුය. නැතිනම් අම්මා දුර්වල වේ. නුවන් අම්මාගෙ තනය අත් හැරීමට උත්සාහ දැරූවද ඔහුට එය අත් හැර ගත නොහැක. ඔහුගෙ සිත තුළ පවතින දුකට ඇති එකම පිහිට අම්මාට තුරුලු වී කිරි උරා බීම පමණි. නුවන් දැඩි වෙරක් යොදා අම්මාගේ තනයෙන් ඉවත් වන්නට උත්සාහ දැරීය. නමුත් ඔහුට ඉන් මිදීමට නොහැකි විය. අම්මාගෙ හකු දැන් ඇතුළට එබෙමින් යයි. අම්මා වැහැරෙනු දකින නුවන් තව තවත් දුකටත් පීඩාවටත් පත් වේ. හිතේ තියෙන දුක නිසා ඔහුට අම්මාගෙන් ඉවත් විය නොහැකිය. ඔහු බොහෝ වේලාවක් මෙම පීඩාකාරී වෙහෙසකර උත්සාහයේ නිරත වී සිටියේය.
නින්දෙන් ඇහැරුණු නුවන් සරමෙන් කොට කලිසමකට මාරුවිය. ඔහු ගුරු පාර දිගේ ඇවිද ගියේ අයියලාගේ නිවස දෙසට යන අටියෙනි. අයියලාගේ නිවසේ දැන් වෙසෙන්නේ අයියාගෙ බිරිද රුවිනි අක්කාත් ඇගෙ මවත් බිළිදු දරුවාත් පමණි. තමා දැන් මාස හතර පහකින් අයියලාගේ ගෙදරට ගොඩ වී නැති බව නුවන්ට පසක් විය. එය එසේ සිදු වූයේ ඇයි? තමාට නිකමටවත් එහි ගොස් ඒමට යුතුකමක් තිබුණා නොවේද? තමා අතින් එය මග හැරුනේ කුමක් නිසාදැයි නුවන් සිතන්නට විය. අධිවේගී මාර්ගය සඳහා එලන ලද විශාල පස් බැම්මට කළින් නම් විනාඩි පහක ගමනකින් එහි යා හැකිව තිබුණි. දැන් අධිවේගී පාරට සමාන්තරව ටික දුරක් ඇවිද ඒ හරහා ඉඳි කෙරුනු පාලමකින් පාරෙන් එහා පැත්තට ගොස් නැවත අධිවේගී මාර්ගයට සමාන්තරව වැටුණු පාරක් දිගේ මේ පැත්තට පැමිණිය යුතුය. ඒ සදහා පැය බාගයක් පමණ ගත වේ. නමුත්, ඒ නිසා තමා අතින් එය මගහැරුනා යයි සිතිය හැකිද? පැය බාගයක් නොව දින කීපයක ගමනක් වුවත්, අර අහිංසක කිරිසප්පයාගේ මූණ බලන්නට යෑම තම යුතුකම නොවේද? ඒ පොඩි එකාගේ මූණ බැලීමට ඇති ආත්ම ශක්තිය තමා අතින් දැන් ගිලිහී ගොස්ද?
නිවසේ සාලයේ තබා තිබුණු අයියාගේ මිනී පෙට්ටියේ රුව නුවන්ගේ සිතේ මැවී පෙනුණි. මිනී පෙට්ටිය වසා ගෙන සිටි සිංහ ධජයේ, සිංහයා අසිපත දරා සිටියේ මොන තරම් අභිමානයකින්ද? මඟුල් ගෙදරක දමන ලද සිංහ කොඩියක හෝ නිදහස් දින උත්සවයකදී දේශපාලකයකු අතින් එසවුණු සිංහ කොඩියක හෝ ඉන්නා සිංහයාට වඩා එදා තම අයියාගේ සීල් තබා තිබුණු මිනී පෙට්ටිය වසා ගෙන සිටි සිංහ කොඩියේ උන් සිංහයා කෙතරම් ගාම්භීරද? ඒ සිංහයා අයියාගෙ ඇතුළු හද තුළත් ජීවමානව සිටියා නේද?
සාමාන්ය පෙළ සමත් වූ නුවන්ගෙ අයියා උසස් පෙළ පන්තියට ගියේ අවුරුද්දක් පමණි. ඉන් පසු ඔහු ඉස්ටෝරු කාමරයක වැඩට ගියේ සිය මලණුවන් තමාට වඩා ඉගෙනුමට දක්ෂ නිසා ඊට සහය දිය යුතු නිසායි ඇරත් තමා උසස් පෙළ සමත් වේ යයි විශ්වාසයක් නුවන්ගේ අයියා තුළ නොවීය. නුවන්ගේ අයියාගේ කුඩා වැටුප, ගෙදර බර තනියම ඉසිලූ අම්මාට අස්වැසිල්ලක් විය.
වෘත්තීය සමිති ක්රියාකාරිකයෙකු වූ සරත් අයියා හත් දොහේ දානේ දවසේ නුවන් සමඟ පැවසූ දේ නුවන්ට සිහි විය.
“මල්ලි දුප්පත්කම නිසයි අපට මෙහෙම වෙන්නේ. අපි නියෝජනය කරන්නේ පීඩිත පන්තිය. හැම කරදරයක්ම වෙන්නේ අපට. රට වෙනුවෙන් කියලා උන් යුද්දෙට අපේ උන්ව යවනවා මිසක් උන් යවනවද උන්ගේ දරුවන්ව යුද්දෙට?”
“උන් හිතන් ඉන්නේ අපේ අයියා හමුදාවට ගියේ දුප්පත්කම හින්දා කියලා. ඒක තනිකර බොරුවක්. එහෙනම් ඉතින් දුප්පත් හැම එකාම යුද්දෙට යන්න එපායැ.” නුවන්ට සිතුණි.
සටන් විරාමය පැවති කාලයෙ තමාට ලැබුන සොච්චම් වැටුපත් රැගෙන ගෙදර ආ තම අයියා කී දෙයක් ද නුවන්ට සිහි විය.
“මට හිතෙනවා හමුදාවට යන්න. ඒත් ඉතින් දැන් හමුදාවට ගියොත් වෙන්නේ කොටි ඇවිල්ලා පුක පෙන්නලා යනවා බලාගෙන ඉන්නයි. තුවක්කු බටේ පුකේ ගහගෙන ඉන්නවට වඩා දෙයක් කොරන්න වෙන්නෙ නෑ.”
එසේ කිවු අයියා හමුදාවට බැඳුණේ ඊළඟ මහ මැතිවරණයෙන් බුලත් කොළය ජය ගැනීමෙන් මාස කීපයකට පසුවය. අයියා හමුදවට බැඳුණේ යුද්ධ කරලා පඩි ගන්න මිසක් කොටි පුක පෙන්නලා යනවා බලන් ඉඳලා පඩි ගන්න නෙමෙයි. යුද්දෙ පටන් ගත්ත කාලෙ, අපේ ලොකු මාමා අඳුරන ලොක්කෙකුට කියලා අයියව ප්රභූ ආරක්ෂක එකට දාලා දෙන්න හැදුවහම අයියා කියූ කතාව නුවන්ට අද වගේ මතකය.
“කොළඹට ඔය වෙලා එක එකාට සැලුට් ගහනවාට වඩා හොඳයි යුද්දෙදි කොටින්ගෙන් වැඩිකාලා මැරෙණ එක.”
එක අතකට අයියගෙ පණ්ඩිතකම. එහෙම දෙයකට කැමති උනා නම් අද අර අසරණ ගෑනියි දරුවයි මේ ලෝකේ තනි වෙන්නෙ නෑනෙ. බාග වෙලාව්ට මේ යෝජනාව ලොකු මාමා ලව්වා, රුවිනි අක්කගෙ බඩට දරුවා ආවට පස්සේ ආයෙමත් කළා නම්…එහෙම උනා නම් මිනිහා කැමති වෙයිද? දෙයියෝ තමා දන්නේ. මට හොඳට මතකයි අක්කට දරුවෙක් ලැබෙන්න ඉන්නවා කියලා අයියා දැනගත්ත වෙලාව. වෙන මිනිහෙක් නම් කොච්චර සතුටු වෙනවද? මෙයා එක පාරටම පිළිකන්නට ගිහින් බිම බලා ගෙන බුම්මගෙන හිටියා වචනයක්වත් නොදොඩා. අයියා ඒ දවස් වල කිව්වෙ “ආණ්ඩුව සුද්දෝ ඉස්සරහ දෙකට නැවෙන්නෙ නැතිව දිගටම යුද්දෙ කෙරෙව්වොත් දැන් කොල්ලන්ගෙ තියෙන මොරාල් එකේ හැටියට තව අවුරුද්දක් ඇතුළත මේකේ ඉවරයක් දකීවි” කියලා. සමහර විට බිම බලා ගෙන හිතන්න ඇත්තේ ඇයි මේ දරුවට තව අවුරුද්දක් ඉවසන්න බැරි උනේ කියල වෙන්න ඕනා. යුද්දෙ ඉවර වෙනකොට එයා ඉඳියිද නොඉඳියිද කියලා අවිශ්වාසයක් අයියාට තියෙන්න ඇති. දරුවෙක් අක්කගේ බඩට ආවයි කිව්වහම අයියා බය වෙන්න ඇති. දෙයියනේ ඒක මොන වගෙ බයක් වෙන්න ඇතිද?
අපේ කරුමෙට අපිට මතක් උනෙ නෑනෙ ඔය වෙලාවේ ලොකු මාමා ලව්වා අර යෝජනාව ආයිමත් සැරයක් කරවලා බලන්න.
දැන් අයියගේ පොඩි එකාට වයස අවුරුදු දෙකකට වැඩියි. අයියා නැති වෙනකොට ඒ කිරි සප්පයාට යාන්තම් මාසයක් වුනා විතරයි. දෙයියනේ, පොඩි එකා අඬන කොට පොඩි එකාව තුරුලු කර ගෙන මළ ගෙදරදි රුවිනි අක්කා අඬපු හැටි මතක් වන කොට මගේ පපුව වාවන්නේ නෑ. ඒක දැකපු හැමෝගෙම ඇස් වල කඳුළු පිරුණා. රුවිනි අක්කාත් පුදුම දෛවයක් තමා ලබලා තියෙන්නේ. අර කාමරයට වෙලා අඬ අඬ පොඩි එකාට කිරි දීපු හැටි!
අයියා නැති උනාම මම අධිෂ්ඨාන කර ගත්තේ කොහොම හරි දොස්තර කෙනෙක් වෙලා පොඩි එකාගෙ අනාගතය ගැන සම්පූර්ණ වගකීම ගන්න ඕනා කියලා නේද? දැන් මම කොහොමද ඕවා කරන්නේ. මට තාම පොඩි රස්සාවක්වත් හොයාගන්න බැරි උනා. මොන කරුමයකටද මන්දා විභාගයට මාස දෙකකට කළින් ඉඳන් අර කෙහෙල් මල් ඔලුවෙ කැක්කුමක් හැදෙන්න ගත්තේ. කොච්චර බෙහෙත් බිව්වත් හොඳ වුන එකක්යැ. විභාගෙ ඉවර වෙනවත් එක්කම ඒ කෙහෙල් මලත් හොඳ වෙලා ගියා. ඊට වඩා හොඳයි ඔළුගෙඩිය පුපුරලා මාත් මළා නම්.
රුවිනි අක්කාට තියෙන්නෙ දැන් ඉතින් හොඳ මිනිහෙක්ව බඳින්න. ඒත් ඉතින් දරුවට ආදරය කරන එහෙම මිනිහෙක් කොහෙන් හොයන්නද? රුවිනි අක්කාගෙත් එහෙම අදහසක් තියෙන පාටක් නෑ. එයාගෙ ජීවිතය එකම සති පූජාවක් වගේ. මට මේ අහිංසකයො වෙනුවෙන් මොනවත් කරන්න බැරි හැටි.
4
මේ සිතුවිලි වල අතරමන්ව ඇවිද ගිය නුවන් මේ වන විට අධිවේගී මාර්ගය හරහා වැටී තිබුණ පාලමද පසු කරමින් සිටියේය.
උදේ නෑවුවට පස්සෙ වයිටව දැක්කෙත් නෑ. ඌ මේ කාලෙට සාමාන්යයෙන් පැය ගණන් අන්තරස්දාන වෙන්නෙ නෑ. කොහේ ගියත් කෑම කන්න ගෙදර එනවා වෙලාවට. මේ අධිවේගී පාරටවත් රිංගලා එළියට යා ගන්න බැරුව වත් ඉන්නවාද යැයි සිතූ නුවන් අධිවේගී මාර්ගය දිගේ හොඳින් බැලුවේය. ආසළ වූ කුඩා කඳු ගැටයට නැග තවත් හොඳින් පාර දිගේ විපරම් කළ යුතු යැයි නුවන් සිතීය.
වැටියේ සම බිමක වැතිරුණු නුවන් අලුත් පාරේ යන වාහන දෙස බලා සිටියේය. පාර දිගේ තලගොයකු බඩ ගා යන්නේය. වේගයෙන් පැමිණි මෝටර් රථයක් ඌ යට කර ගෙන ගියේය. තලගොයා නගුට වේගයෙන් වනා අහස දෙසට හරවා ගත් මුහුණින් යුතුව අවසන් හුස්ම හෙළීය. “ආශ්චර්ය!” නුවන්ගේ තොල් අතරින් මිමුනුනේ ඔහුටත් නොදැනීමය. මියගිය තලගොයාගේ දේහය දෙස නුවන් සානුකම්පිතව බලා සිටියේය. ඉන් පසු පැමිණි වාහන කීපයකටම තලගොයාගේ සිරුර යට විය. උගේ සිරුරෙන් රතු පැහැ කැබලි එළියට පැන ඇත. නුවන්ගේ සිතුවිලි පෙළ ගැසුනි.
තොපි ඔය ටිකම තමයි අපේ වයිටාටත් කරන්න ඇත්තේ. ආයෙ දෙකක් නෑ. තොපි මගේ බල්ලවත් මරාගෙන යන්න ඇති ආශ්චර්යයේ මාවත දිගේ. මේක දිගේ යන්න ඇත්නම් තලගොයි, බල්ලෝ මරණ එක තොපිට කජ්ජක්ද? මේ අහිංසකයො මරාගෙන කොහෙද බොල තොපි ඔය අධිවේගයෙන් ඉගිලෙන්නේ?. තොපේ යස ඉසුරු තව වැඩිවෙන්න කියලා කතරගම දෙවියන්ට බාර වෙන්නද? තොපේ දෑස් දැන් ආශ්චර්යෙන් නිලන්කාර වෙලා, ගහ කොළ සතා සීපාවා ගැන කොහෙද වගක්. මොකක්ද යකෝ ඔය වේගය? තොපිට දැන් යන්න ඕනාවෙලා තියෙන වේගේ හැටියට පාර මැද්දට එන ඕන එකෙක් යට කරන් යාවි. අම්මා අප්පා උනත් ආයෙ බලන එකක් නෑ.
දැන් නුවන්ගේ සිතිවිලි වචනයට පෙරලා, කටින් පිට වේ.
අපේ අයියා යුද්දෙට ගියේ ඇයි කියලා තොපිට වගක් තියෙනවද? ඒ තියා තොපි දන්නවද ඇයි ගැමුණු කුමාරයා යුද්ද කළේ කියලා. තොපිට කොහෙද ඒවයේ වගක්. කෝ උඹලගෙ මනුස්සකම? කෝ උඹලගේ වසර දෙදහස් පන්සීයක් පැරණි ශ්රේෂ්ඨ සංස්කෘතිය? අපේ අයියා මළේ අන්න ඒක රැකගන්න ඕන නිසා මිසක් උඹලට ආතල් ගන්න ඉඩ හදලා දෙන්න නෙමෙයි කියන එක මතක තියා ගනිල්ලා. තොපිට ආතල් දෙන්න නම් අර පොඩි එකාට තාත්තා කෙනෙක් නැති කරන්න ඕනද යකෝ? තොපි දැන් හිතන් ඉන්නේ කාලා තෙල වැඩි වෙච්ච උන්ගෙ තෙල බස්සන්න ‘ජොගින්’ කරන්න තැන් හදල දෙන එක තමයි කියලා මේ රටේ විසදන්න තියෙන ලොකුම ප්රශ්නේ. තව පුලුවන්නම් ඇරගනිල්ලා පෞද්ගලික විශ්ව විද්යාලත්. එතකොට අපි ගාව තියෙනවනේ ඒවට දෙන්න සල්ලි. අපේ අයියට තිබ්බා මට උගන්න ගන්න උවමනාවක්.
මේ විකාර කියවන අතර නුවන්ගෙ දෑසින් කඳුලුද කඩා හැලුනි.
තොපි දන්නේ එයාර් පෝර්ට් එකට වෙලා හැංගිලා ඉදලා ලංකාවට එන සුද්දෝ ගැනලා, ලක්ෂයායි දෙකායි කියලා උන්ට මල් මාලා දාන්න විතරයි. ඕක තමා උඹලගෙ ක්රමය. දාපල්ලා පිටරැටියන්ට මල් මාලා. අපිට දාලා දීපල්ලා පෞද්ගලික විශ්ව විද්යාල ගෙවලා යන්න. උඹලා ආතල් ගනිල්ලා. ජොගින් කරලා තෙල් බස්සා ගනිල්ලා. පිටරැටියන්ම ඇවිල්ල මෙහේ ආශ්චර්යක් හදලා දෙනකල් උන්ටම ආවඩපල්ලා. උඹලා මුහුදට දත නියවපල්ලා. අපි පනින්නම් මුහුදට. ඕකටද යකෝ අපේ අයියා මළේ. අර පොඩි එකා මේ ලෝකේ තනි වුනේ. හිටපියව් මම දෙන්නම් තොපිට වැඩක්!
නුවන් මෙවැනි බහුබූත හෑළි කියවමින් මරු විකල්ලෙන් මෙන් පාරේ එන එන වාහනවලට ගල් කැට වලින් ගසන්නට විය. කුමක්දෝ අහේතුවකට එවේලේ බොහෝ වාහනද පැමිණියහ. ඇතැම් වාහන වලට ගල් වැදුනි. ඇතැම්වාට නොවැදිණි.
දර කඩමින් සිටි අම්මා නුවන් කඳු ගැටය දිගේ උඩට නගිනවා ඇස ගැටී තිබිණ. පසු ගිය දින කිහිපය පුරාම වැඩි කතා බහක් නැතිව සිටි නුවන්ගේ හැසිරීම ගැන ඈ තුළ යම් කුකුසක් ද වැඩෙමින් පැවතිණ. නුවන් මේ කඳු ගැටය දිගේ බඩ ගාන්නේ කිනම් කාරණයකටදැයි සිතා ගැත නොහැකි වූ අම්මාද කෝකටත් කියා නුවන් ගිය දෙසට ගමන් කළාය. ඇය නුවන් සිටි කඳු වැටිය මත වූ සම බිම වෙත ළඟා වෙද්දී, ඔහු වියරුවෙන් මෙන් පාරේ වාහන වලට ගල් ගසමින් සිටියේය. ඒ දුටු අම්මා මොහොතකට ගල් ගැසුනි. නිමේෂයකින් ඉන් මිදුනු ඈ “උඹට මොන යකෙක් වැහිලද මයෙ පුතේ?” කියමින් මුලු වැර යොදා ඔහු බදා ගත්තාය.
“උඹේ මොළේ නරක් වෙලාද? පොලීසියෙන් වෙඩි කන්නද හදන්නේ?”
“මම හිටියා කියලා ඇති වැඩේ මොකක්ද? උන්ට ඕනනම් වෙඩි තියපුවාවේ”
“ලොකු එකා මට නැති උනා. උඹ දැන් විහින් වැනසිලා මට උඹවත් නැති කරලා දාන්නද පුතේ උඹට ඕන වෙලා තියෙන්නේ.”
“ඇයි අම්මේ අපිට මෙහෙම වෙන්නේ?” කියමින් ඉකි ගසා හඬමින් නුවන් අම්මාගෙ පපුවට තුරුළු විය. කුඩා කළ අම්මාගෙ උණුසුම තුළ දැනුණ හා සමාන හැඟීමකින් අසරණ නුවන්ගෙ සිත පිරී ගියේය. දහවල දුටු සිහිනය තුළදීද අම්මාගෙන් කිරි උරා බොන විට ඔහුට දැනුණේ එබඳුම රැකවරණයකි.
බීමතින් සිටි කඩාකප්පල්කාරි පිරිසක් විසින් අධිවේගී මාර්ගයේ ධාවනය වූ වාහන වලට ගල් ගසා, වාහන එකොළහකට අලාභහානි සිදු කර ඇත. සැකකරුවන් සොයා පොලීසිය විසින් පුළුල් පරීක්ෂණ අරඹා ඇත. මිනීමරු කොටි ත්රස්ත්වාදය පැරදවීමෙන් පසු රජය ගෙන යන යෝධ සංවර්ධනයේ ප්රතිලාභ සාමාන්ය මහජනයා අතට පත්වනවා බලා සිට අවංකව සතුටු විය නොහැකි බලලෝභී දේශපාලන කුහකයන් මේ පිටුපස සිටින්නේද යන සාධාරණ සැකයක් මතුවන බව මාර්ග සංවර්ධන අමාත්ය රෝහණ රන්දෙණිය මහතා පැවසීය. මෙවැනි පහත් ක්රියා තුළින් පැහැදිළි වන්නේ විපක්ෂයේ දේශපාලන බංකොළොත්භාවය බව එතුමා වැඩිදුරටත් පැවසීය.
අධිවේගී මාර්ගයේ ගමන් ගන්නා වාහනවල ආරක්ෂාව සහතික කිරීම සඳහා පුළුල් වැඩ පිළිවෙලක් දැනටමත් ක්රියාත්මක කර ඇති බව පොලිස්පති තුමා පැවසීය. නොදුරු අනාගතයේදී මෙවැනි කඩාකප්පලකාරීන් පහසුවෙන් හඳුනාගත හැකි වන ලෙස ආරක්ෂක කැමරා පද්ධතියක් ස්ථාපිත කිරීමට දැනටමත් අවධානය යොමු වී ඇති බවත් ඒ මහතා පැවසීය.” යනුවෙන් පසුවදා පුවත් පත් වල පළ වී තිබුණී.
Leader of the Opposition Mahinda Rajapaksa says he is not at all satisfied with most of the decisions and actions taken so far by the Government following the Easter Sunday terrorist attacks.
According to a statement issued by his Media Secretary, taking decisions relating to the present situation prevailing in the country is the responsibility of the President, the Prime Minister and the Cabinet of Ministers.
The Leader of the Opposition can only perform the task of the opposition in Parliament.” He can move resolutions and express his views in Parliament on matters of national importance and also if necessary apprise the general public outside Parliament, the release said.
Accordingly, Rajapaksa has already taken action to address the people on the prevailing situation through press releases and statements, his media secretary Rohan Welivita said.
Mahinda Rajapaksa, the Leader of the Opposition is not at all satisfied with most of the decisions and actions taken so far by the Government following the Easter Sunday terrorist attacks.”
However, he is always prepared to support any meaningful decisions taken by the government in this connection,” the statement added.
The police have arrested a wanted suspect who had allegedly assisted the suicide bomber at the Kingsbury Hotel in Colombo to purchase a white-coloured van, used by the bomber at St. Anthony’s Church in Kochchikade to arrive at the location.
The Criminal Investigation Department had carried out extensive investigations into this van in question and managed to find out links between Mohamed Assam Mohamed Mubarak, the bomber at the Kingsbury Hotel, and another person to who had aided Mubarak to purchase the vehicle and to renew its passenger seats.
On May 13th, police released four sketches of the visage of the suspect, which were drawn based on the information gathered from four witnesses.
All four witnesses have agreed that the suspect is a tanned-skinned bearded person who is of 35-40 years of age and approximately 5’6” in height.
The arrested named Mohamed Adam Lebbe is a resident of New Kattankudy area.
He is being questioned over the series of attacks on Easter Sunday, the Police Media Spokesperson said speaking at the press conference held in Colombo this evening (15).
The van in question (WP-PJ-4080), registered under the suicide bomber at the Kingsbury Hotel, was set up with explosives for another blast and was parked near the church intentionally.
However, on April 22nd, the Police Special Task Force safely diffused the explosives found inside the van.
To millions of Sri Lankans the Easter Sunday tragedy must have seemed a nightmare come true, a frightening déjà vu of the rampant violence this island nation has known for thirty years of LTTE terror (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam).
The horrific attacks in which estimated 253 lost their lives and many hundreds were wounded signaled that the decade’s calm that prevailed after LTTE’s 2009 destruction by Sri Lanka’s Army is over.
What Went Wrong?
At the time, victory over the LTTE inspired confidence and heady optimism. A 2012 defense seminar in Colombo (in which two of the present authors participated) heralded Peace and Stability” as its core theme and the Five Rs” (Reconstruction, Resettlement, Rehabilitation, Reintegration and Reconciliation) as the imperative agenda for Sri Lanka.
The mood at the time was upbeat and the country’s future seemed bright. The safety of the post-war period brought to the country millions of tourists (2.1 million in 2017 alone) and the reconstruction of Sri Lankan economy and infrastructure commenced apace.
But with the horrific Easter disaster, this process has come to a grinding halt. And the troubling question is what developments allowed it to happen. SECONDS
Confluence of Factors
There is no unique answer to this query. Rather, four distinct factors converged to enable the Easter bloodbath: (1) political developments in Sri-Lanka in the post-war period, (2) dysfunctionality of the current government, (3) the regional penetration of the Islamic State in South and Southeast Asia, and (4) collaboration of the perpetrators with radicalized networks and groups.
Post-war political developments.
The military campaign that decisively defeated the LTTE was carried out by a Sri Lankan government (2005–2015) led by Mahinda Rajapaksa as President with Gotabaya Rajapaksa as Secretary of Defense. It was a bloody campaign fueled by the government’s resolve to end the thirty year war in which estimated 150,000 people lost their lives. The intensity of the fighting, particularly in its final stages, brought allegations of human rights abuses against the Sri Lankan military, and resulted in its condemnation by parts of the international community (including the United States, the UK and the UN).
In the postwar period, the Rajapaksa administration continued its strict emphasis on security while rehabilitating the vast majority of the LTTE terrorists and reintegrating them into society.
During that time, Sri Lanka earned the reputation of a safe and appealing travel destination and millions of tourists from around the world flocked to its shores and enjoyed its attractions.
This was not to last, however. As often happens, war-time governments and leaders (e.g. Winston Churchill) tend to lose their appeal in peacetime. Whereas Rajapaksa’s resolute leadership managed to unify the majority of Sri Lankans behind the war effort, over time cracks began to appear in its support.
Sri Lankans grew accustomed to their newly gained security and began taking it for granted. Complacency set in. The Rajapaksa administration faced allegations of corruption and of human rights abuses during the war. By the time of the 2015 elections, it faced stiff competition and ultimately was replaced by a government formed by a broad melange of factions headed by Ranil Wickremesinghe’s United National Party (UNP) as Prime Minister and Maithripala Sirisena as President.
Beyond the UNP, the coalition included the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) faction of Rajapaksa’s United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA), as well as Tamil and Muslim parties.
Naturally, its policies accommodated the demands of the Tamil and Muslim coalition partners; were pro-Western in orientation and adopted the criticisms of Rajapaksa’s policies as nationalistic and militaristic. Correspondingly, it loosened the tight” policies of their predecessors, dismantled their security network, lowered the alertness to potentially subversive activities, and denied reports about Islamic State growing influence, and of resurgent separatism.
It turned a blind eye to attempts to re-radicalize the Tamil population ,ignored Muslim radicalization and failed to check Buddhist anti-Muslim extremism. The normative looseness” that ensued allowed the emergence of criminal gangs, and a general rise in crime.
Dysfunctionality
Despite repeated and detailed warnings from local and international intelligence services as to impending attacks in Sri Lanka by the National Thowheed Jamaat (NTJ) group and its ties to Islamic State, the Sri Lankan government failed to react, thus bearing partial responsibility for the horrific loss of life.
The puzzle of their passivity in light of the clear and present danger is, nonetheless, explicable by political psychology: The Wikremesinghe coalition included Tamil and Muslim parties who played the role of essential kingmakers.” Clamping up on the brewing Tamil re-radicalization or on rising Muslim extremism would have been anathema to these indispensable political partners (Dharmawardena, 2015–2016).
This induced the motivation to ignore warnings that would necessitate politically problematic decisions. That inclination was compounded by the government’s reluctance to take steps that would invite allegations of nationalism and militarism.
Motivated closed mindedness to critical information that, if heeded, would have prevented major debacles (e.g., Hitler’s Operation Barbarossa, or Arab states 1973 Yom Kippur attack on Israel) is well documented.
The paralysis of the Sri Lankan government despite ample warnings reflects this fundamental psychological process.
Islamic State regional penetration
A troubling development made salient by the Sri Lanka attacks is Islamic State’s deep penetration into South and Southeast Asia. Particularly after the collapse of its Caliphate but also prior to its downfall, the Islamic State has been sending its tentacles into the region and successfully co-opting local jihadist movements by harnessing them to its global cause.
In the Philippines, the Abu Sayyaf Group was recognized by Islamic State as its official Willayat (governance).In 2014 Abu Bakkar Baysir, leader of Indonesian Jemmah Islamiyah, pledged allegiance to Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, leader of the Islamic State. In Bangladesh the Jamiatul Mujahidin Bangladesh became an official Islamic State affiliate. The list is long.
The spread of Islamic State influence in the region did not spare Sri Lanka. In 2015, 41 Sri Lankan Muslims traveled to Syria to join the Islamic State fight and local groups like the NTJ committed to the Jihadi agenda.
The Sri Lankan government banned two groups responsible for the Easter Sunday events. The NTJ, held responsible for radicalizing and inciting violence, and the JMI (Jamathei Millathu Ibraheemi Seilani) held responsible for recruiting radicalized NTJ members for attacks.
The recent Sri Lanka attack constitutes a spectacular victory for Islamic State, second only in its impact to Al Qaeda’s 9/11 inglorious achievement.
The precise coordination of attacks in multiple sites, their lethality, and the display of diverse assault styles; citing” different well known prior operations (attacks on churches, hotels, public venues, train tracks) sends a powerful message that Islamic State is alive and kicking, that the news of its demise is grossly exaggerated, and that Jihad 3.0” is on.
Collaboration with other groups and networks?
While the LTTE was conclusively dismantled in Sri Lanka, it remained intact in Tamil Nadu in Southern India. The NTJ and the JMI, appears to have broken away from the Sri Lanka Thowheed Jamath (SLTJ) that evolved from the Tamil Nadu Thowheed Jamath (TNTJ).
Given the link to Tamil Nadu, whether NTJ and JMI utilized the logistical network, the drug and crime grid in Sri Lanka previously used by the LTTE is yet to be seen.
Terrorist groups with common enemies are known to share resources, capitalizing on each other’s capability and intelligence. This includes radicalizing the community, recruiting members, transportation of explosives, the placement of bombers, accessing information and evading security.
The NTJ and JMI therefore are likely to have had a head start in radicalizing and operationalizing it’s global Islamic State ideology, locally in Sri Lanka.
Why Christians?
The world’s stunned response to the Easter Sunday massacre is owed in part to the fact that some of its targets were Christians.
Indeed, the small Sri Lankan Christian minority (about 7.4 percent of the island’s population) would seem an unlikely target in a country riveted for decades by a war on LTTE terror in which Christians as well as Muslims played a vital role.
The puzzle unravels, however, considering the attack from a global perspective: There were ideological as well as practical reasons for targeting Sri Lankan Christians.
From the ideological perspective, Christians are the Muslims’ iconic enemy and the depiction of contemporary Christians as latter day Crusaders permeate the rhetoric including the April 23 communique in which Islamic State claims responsibility for the attack.
It cannot be ruled out, furthermore, that the specific timing of this attack was at least partially influenced by the Islamic State call for vengeance (enunciated by Abu Hassan al Muhajir, its spokesman) for the recent Christchurch massacre in New Zealand.
Equally compelling are the practical (strategic and tactical) reasons for assaulting Christian churches. Strategically, places of worship are venues of mass assembly. They promise spectacular lethality and an appreciable world attention of pivotal importance to Islamic State.
Tactically too, Christian churches in Sri Lanka have constituted relatively soft targets as compared to, say, Buddhist temples that are more carefully watched (in light of the long lasting LTTE insurgency against the Buddhist Sinhalese).
Finally, note that the churches were only three out of the sites under attack suggesting that the operation was meant to maximize casualties rather than targeting Christians uniquely.
More globally, the Easter attacks signal that the war on Islamist extremism is far from over, and that letting our defenses down and/or neglecting the social and psychological determinants of extremism risks disastrous consequences.
Arie W. Kruglanski is Distinguished University Professor of Psychology at the University of Maryland, and a co-founding PI at START, the National Center of Excellence for the Study of Terrorism and the Response to Terrorism.Malkanthi Hettiarachchi is a Chartered Clinical Psychologist, and a counterterrorism researcher and instructor.Michele Gelfand is Distinguished University Professor and Professor of Psychology at the University of Maryland, College Park. Her bookRule Makers, Rule Breakers: How Tight and Loose Cultures Wire Our Worldwas published in 2018.
While the Islamic State has claimed responsibility, the real story is a bit more complicate
On 21st April 2019 Islamic suicide bombers struck at 8 venues instantly killing some 250 plus people and injuring over 800 some of whom have succumbed to their wounds. Some 36 foreigners have also perished. Foreigners or locals – innocent people were targeted and the tragedy is that intel reports were received since 4th April 2019 giving even the targeted venues. So the question is not whose fault it was but to realize that intel sent went into incompetent hands of people who were not suited for their roles and lacked knowledge in how to handle the situation because the competent people were either made to retire, were given minor roles or transferred elsewhere. The replaced were people who did not know how to handle a calamity. Given the political set up & environment, the security apparatus knew that those in power were simply enjoying power with no patriotism so everyone was just doing a daily job & going home. How did an administrative system that inspired itself to defeat the most ruthless terrorist group end up this docile? The answers lie with the bandwagon of players who carried out a vilification campaign against the Armed Forces post May 2009 and demonized & demoralized them.
When Sri Lankan troops defeated the murderous LTTE & held the dead body of its ruthless leader & showed the world that LTTE ground force was well and truly defeated in May 2009, people hit the streets, holding the national flag, lighting crackers, distributing kiribath – there was jubilation all round and people of all parties joined in with virtually all vehicles flying the national flag. That jubilation was chopped by the so-called international community via the UN Secretary General demanding to stop the ‘triumphalism’ inspite of US, UK & Allies still celebrating defeat of Nazi Germany – Victory Day since 1945 annually in grand scale. Such was the jealousy & hypocrisy of the world who hated to admit that Sri Lankan Forces was the ONLY NATIONAL ARMY to defeat a terrorist movement.
The bandwagon of individuals and groups that collaborated against the armed forces post May 2009 were the very same linked to the separatists indirectly & directly. There is nothing ‘non-governmental’ in NGOs – most are funded by foreign governments & on their payroll. Most are part of the LTTE’s own human rights linked club. Others belong to the historical trouble makers that land in every country pretending to be the ‘rights activists’ but all the while trying to implement some foreign geopolitical agenda.
Immediately after LTTE defeat came the ‘allegations’ of 40000 dead which inflated itself to even 200,000 though none of those making the allegations or counting the dead has produced names or details of the dead. If even the basic name or skeleton is not presented as evidence how can an army be charged of killing people?
Thereafter came the Ban Ki Moon report that was a personal report which was never tabled in the UNHRC, UNGA or UNSC but became the basis of 3 successive UNHRC Resolutions all of which are controversial & legally questionable and sought to demand as recommendations changing of the country’s constitution, repealing terrorism act and internal matters which by UN Charter was an interference into the internal affairs of Sri Lanka.
Totally forgotten was that Sri Lanka’s armed forces were called upon to defeat no one but terrorists and in terms of civilian deaths the Sri Lankan official statistics given corroborated with that of the UN Country Team statistics and was less than 10,000. Totally forgotten was the close to 300,000 Tamils the soldiers saved along with 12,000 surrendered LTTE combatants who fought in civilian clothing.
But the bandwagon of locals none of whom have a semblance of patriotism except doing anything for dollars and pounds led the ugly onslaught to name and shame Sri Lanka’s army. Most were heavily funded by LTTE diaspora as seen by the events organized by them to which these individuals were regular attendees. They all went to town to hold our army & intel services accountable in word only – no proof or evidence but because the unpatriotic press gave them space and columns their lies were promoted. The armed forces were demonized, degraded and the credit due to them were denied. Political pressures were such that even the Victory Day celebrations were forced to be renamed.
The well-funded efforts to show our war heroes as war criminals was next taken to the international arena. With foreign media, foreign envoys, UN & UNHRC all taking lead roles. Some who held plum posts went to Geneva to play to the LTTE gallery and paint the Sri Lankan Army as war criminals.
From the Sri Lankan Human Rights Commission head to the NGO circle heads and many others, the same forces that were too chicken to come out & condemn any of the LTTE atrocities are now talking as if they are the God’s gift to human rights & righteousness.
The links are clearly obvious. All that the LTTE diaspora elements & destabilizing agents demand are the very same that these HR & NGO activists are now attempting to delivery on their behalf as the regime change assisted by the foreign forces have cleverly placed them in prominent & powerful roles.
LTTE Diaspora demanded war crimes court against Sri Lanka’s Army and from foreign envoys, TNA, HR activists, NGOs, media all demanded same which was articulated via 3 UNHRC successive resolutions.
The resolutions were all flagrant violations of the UN Charter interfering in the internal affairs of Sri Lanka and called for the repealing of the Prevention of Terrorism Act and even a new constitution. Not surprisingly, all those that sided with LTTE through the years were promoters of this.
They were all promoters of the Office of Missing Persons Act, Enforced Disappearance Act – both of which would facilitate false evidence against war heroes and subject them to foreign judicial jurisdiction when the US soldiers in all of its illegal invasions are omitted of investigation as was recently seen in ICC withdrawing case against US troops.
The SLHRC head is also a promoter of repealing the PTA and in favor of the new Counter Terror Act that not only dilutes the powers vested in the PTA but is more of a political witch hunt to charge opposition on frivolous charges including media. Freedom of speech & expression would be greatly curtailed and many are of the view that an increasing unpopular government would benefit by passing a CTA to gag the opposition.
The SLHRC head is suddenly vested powers to whet military personnel nominated for peace keeping missions overseas and she is withholding nominations claiming them to have allegations of war crimes. When no one making blatant charges has produced names of the dead or even skeletons of the dead – how can any military personnel be charged with war crimes? Even the basic requirement of ‘proving guilt beyond doubt’ is missing. However, the paid media is used lavishly both in Sri Lanka & overseas to paid Sri Lanka’s Army as demons and devils.
Here are a few examples of a government bowing down to the bandwagon of vultures attempting to project Sri Lanka’s Forces as war criminals and painting the LTTE as squeaky clean completely ignoring the 30 years of terrorism LTTE inflicted on all and the brutalities LTTE committed not only against surrendered or captured military personnel but upon unarmed civilians too.
Throwing a war hero to the wolves to appease Tamil separatists; the real story behind the ‘Mirisuvil massacre’ needs to come out
LTTE is banned in UK. LTTE diaspora carries LTTE emblems and flags but nothing is done against them and their events are not even stopped inspite of massive cut outs of Prabakaran however, Brigadier Priyanka Fernando, inspite of holding diplomatic immunity issued warrant by UK police & later charges dropped. Power of LTTE diaspora lobby in UK seen.
Former Navy Spokesperson D. K. P. Dassanayake, who played a pivotal role in defeat of LTTE is arrested in July 2017 and denied bail. Eventually bail granted in January 2018 yet no charges filed.
Field Marshal Fonseka, in September, alleged that he had been denied a visa to attend the UNGA in 2017
When Maj. Gen. Shavendra Fernando was appointed the Chief of Staff, this is how foreign media reacted alleged war criminal named second-in-command of Sri Lanka army”
In Mar 2017 Maj.Gen. Chagi Gallage denied Australian visa citing the reason as war crimes accusations levelled against him.
https://srilankamirror.com/news/2418-chagi-gallage-denied-visa
Retired military intelligence head Major General Amal Karunasekera was arrested by the CID. Major Prabath Bulathwatte, Sergeant Duminda Weeraratne and Sergeant Hemachandra Perera of military intelligence were arrested but still no charges filed.
There are 2 intelligence officers on death row on questionable evidence. The secret nature of intelligence services is such that their identities and their scope of work are required to be classified and top secret but we know what happened when their names and details were released following the Millennium City debacle under this same government in 2002 resulting in 58 intelligence officers killed by LTTE. Many of the intel officers are now probably in hiding knowing the treacheries of this government in exposing their real identities and their work.
In 2018, Sri Lanka’s highest-ranking military officer, Admiral Ravindra Wijegunaratne was arrested.
Former Senior DIG Anura Senanayake, was arrested and remanded in May 2016 and granted bail only in June 2017. He was not even allowed to attend his daughter’s convocation.
Kapila Hendawitharana, former Chief of National Intelligence, Donald Perera, former Air Force Commander. Chief of Defence Staff during the war, Roshan Goonetillake – the Air Force Commander during the war, Jayanath Colombage – former Commander of the Navy was questioned by the FCID
Daya Ratnayake former Army Commander and a key figure in the Eastern theatre of the war, Major Gen. (Rtd) Udaya Perera – the Director Operations of the Army during the war, questioned by the Presidential Commission of Inquiry into Serious Acts of Fraud and Corruption
Jagath Jayasuriya, former Army Commander (Vanni Commander during the war.) Wasantha Karannagoda Commander the Navy during the war was extensively questioned by the CID.
While war heroes were getting arrested not only were LTTE combatants in prison getting released the Parliament even passes compensation for LTTE terrorists – another first!
Naturally, since 2015 when the decorated officers of the Armed Forces were ashamed in front of the nation, brought to questioning like common thieves and treated dismally even by the paid press who cared not to question why forces heads are being arrested without evidence and simply kept in prison without bail.
Most of these arrests almost always took place just before a UN official landed, or Geneva sessions were held or a Western/Indian envoy landed in Sri Lanka – it was as if this was what they were expecting and the government was waiting in anticipation for pat of the back to say ‘good show’.
This treatment of decorated war heroes, most of whom were not given extensions and made to retire had virtual puppets placed in their roles, people easy to manipulate and people who were willing to tow the appeasing line…Is it a surprise that when intel with such detail was sent with venues and names of the assassins, nothing is done to at least increase security at these venues and inform the hotel heads and church heads about the threat?
For demonizing the war heroes, making them think that patriotism is not the norm, giving them the message that they just needed to do their daily job & return home was enough to keep the entire system off guard more so because the appeasing government exposed internal systems not only to the enemies but even the enemy agents in politics linked to the LTTE diaspora were privy to confidential information.
Therefore, every HR, NGO activists including media that towed the separatist line and demonized and demoralize our war heroes have BLOOD ON THEIR HANDS of close to 300 people & hundreds of others who are injured & thousands of others who have got affected by these 9 suicide bombers. The hypocrisy is such that from the PM to even the TNA leaders and Sivajilingam, Mavai Senathiraja & Ananthi Sasitharan who were jumping up & down calling for the removal of the Armed Forces are now appealing to the government to increase the army in the North while the politicians are also seeking additional security for themselves by the very persons they were not shy to call war criminals. Probably, the NGO heads and others are also using the very army they demonized for their security too.
Such hypocrites we have – goes to show no education can make a person humane and compassionate and traitors would do anything for money.
The SLHRC is a government apparatus and such an apparatus cannot be allowed to vilify another government apparatus to such an extent of going to Geneva & play to the Eelam gallery and demotivate, demoralise and demonise Sri Lanka’s Armed Forces.
A future government must investigate governmental lapses and treacheries that has resulted in the bloodshed of innocents in the manner they have systematically weakened the military and intelligence set up.
A content analysis of their statements, their meetings, their ulterior motives as against the demands made by the separatist lobby and financial backers need to also be investigate and accountability has to happen.
Those that demand accountability from others must also learn to face the same music in the manner they have also been singing since January 2015.
Shenali D Waduge
Colombo, May 14 (newsin.asia): The head of the Catholic church in Sri Lanka, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, told newspersons here on Tuesday, that the clashes in the North-Western Provinces have no religious nuances and that the attacks on Muslim properties appear to have been carried out by political and not religious elements.
What we see is more a political crisis where certain political parties and their agents at the base level have run out of control and they go and attack these people unnecessarily. I don’t think there are religious nuances,” the Cardinal said.
The Catholics of Sri Lanka, even those in Negombo where they are in sizeable numbers, have been quiet following the Cardinal’s appeal not to retaliate or take the law into their hands after eight suicide bombers, belonging to the National Tawheed Jamaat (NTJ) and the Jamaathei Millathu Ibrahimi (JMI) attacked three churches and three hotels in the island on April 21 killing 253 persons, mostly Catholics attending the Easter Mass.
Fr.Edmund Thilakaratne ,a spokesman of the Catholic church said that if the Catholics were to take revenge against the Muslims, they would have done so in the first two days. But they did not because they had been persuaded by the Cardinal not to precipitate a fresh communal problem.
The present riots, taking place two weeks after the Eastern Sunday carnage, appear to be the handiwork of outside political elements,” Fr.Thilakaratne said.
Sure enough the police on Tuesday arrested Dan Priyasad, lader of the Buddhist extremist organization Nawa Sinhale National Organization.He had surrendered to the police.
Misleading Reports
However international agencies had gone to town describing the rioting as a Christian-Muslim clash.
AFP described the rioters as Christian-led”. But at the same time quoted a police officer saying: There is a strong political element to the riots today. There are people trying to make political capital out of this situation.”
Muslim Leader’s Appeal
Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) Leader and Minister Rauff Hakeem on Tuesday called on the Prime Minister and tri-forces commanders to control the violent incidents in the country in absence of the President, who is in China attending a conference on Asian civilizations.
In a statement, Hakeem sought protection for Muslims who are suffering for a dastardly crime committed by a few with whom the larger Muslim community has nothing to do with whatsoever”.
With the danger of the terrible experience snowballing into a more complex conundrum, we urge the government and the Armed Forces to curb continued violence against the innocent Muslims in the country,” he said.
He said it was dreadful and frightening to witness the unfolding events as innocent men, women and children of the Muslim community are targeted in reprisal for the horrendous and beastly attacks by some extremists on April 21.
An invisible hand with political motives is behind the violence reported from the North-Western Province and in Minuwangoda, the Archbishop of Colombo, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith and Ven. Ittapane Dhammalankara Mahanayaka Thera told a news conference today.
The Thera said it was clear that some invisible hand had misled the people two days ago. People acted with restraint after the Easter Sunday’s Bomb blasts. They were calm for about two weeks after the incident on April 21. However, the sudden eruption of violence makes it clear that there is an invisible hand misleading the people,” the Thera said and appealed to the people to act with restraint.
The Cardinal said he had information that some local politicians belonging to certain political parties were behind the violence. We like to tell the leaders of these political parties to control their party members,” he said and added that those who resorted to violence had even been offered liquor. The two religious leaders said the authorities had failed to heed their request to carry out search operations.
We requested the government to subject all houses to security checks but the government had turned a deaf ear to our plea,” the Cardinal said.
He said the weapons used in the two days of violence would have been found if proper search operations were carried out.
The Thera said people should support the security forces to maintain law and order. Attacking another person does not make you a hero. This country does not need cardboard heroes,” the Cardinal said.
Referring to security in schools, the Thera said ministers and MPs should visit these institutions and remain there for some time so as to ease the tension among the parents.
If they do this for two or three days, the parents will send their children to schools,” the Thera said. (Yohan Perera)
Pix by Waruna Wanniarachchi
On 21st April 2019 Islamic suicide bombers struck at 8 venues instantly killing some 250 plus people and injuring over 800 some of whom have succumbed to their wounds. Some 36 foreigners have also perished. Foreigners or locals – innocent people were targeted and the tragedy is that intel reports were received since 4th April 2019 giving even the targeted venues. So the question is not whose fault it was but to realize that intel sent went into incompetent hands of people who were not suited for their roles and lacked knowledge in how to handle the situation because the competent people were either made to retire, were given minor roles or transferred elsewhere. The replaced were people who did not know how to handle a calamity. Given the political set up & environment, the security apparatus knew that those in power were simply enjoying power with no patriotism so everyone was just doing a daily job & going home. How did an administrative system that inspired itself to defeat the most ruthless terrorist group end up this docile? The answers lie with the bandwagon of players who carried out a vilification campaign against the Armed Forces post May 2009 and demonized & demoralized them.
When Sri Lankan troops defeated the murderous LTTE & held the dead body of its ruthless leader & showed the world that LTTE ground force was well and truly defeated in May 2009, people hit the streets, holding the national flag, lighting crackers, distributing kiribath – there was jubilation all round and people of all parties joined in with virtually all vehicles flying the national flag. That jubilation was chopped by the so-called international community via the UN Secretary General demanding to stop the ‘triumphalism’ inspite of US, UK & Allies still celebrating defeat of Nazi Germany – Victory Day since 1945 annually in grand scale. Such was the jealousy & hypocrisy of the world who hated to admit that Sri Lankan Forces was the ONLY NATIONAL ARMY to defeat a terrorist movement.
The bandwagon of individuals and groups that collaborated against the armed forces post May 2009 were the very same linked to the separatists indirectly & directly. There is nothing ‘non-governmental’ in NGOs – most are funded by foreign governments & on their payroll. Most are part of the LTTE’s own human rights linked club. Others belong to the historical trouble makers that land in every country pretending to be the ‘rights activists’ but all the while trying to implement some foreign geopolitical agenda.
Immediately after LTTE defeat came the ‘allegations’ of 40000 dead which inflated itself to even 200,000 though none of those making the allegations or counting the dead has produced names or details of the dead. If even the basic name or skeleton is not presented as evidence how can an army be charged of killing people?
Thereafter came the Ban Ki Moon report that was a personal report which was never tabled in the UNHRC, UNGA or UNSC but became the basis of 3 successive UNHRC Resolutions all of which are controversial & legally questionable and sought to demand as recommendations changing of the country’s constitution, repealing terrorism act and internal matters which by UN Charter was an interference into the internal affairs of Sri Lanka.
Totally forgotten was that Sri Lanka’s armed forces were called upon to defeat no one but terrorists and in terms of civilian deaths the Sri Lankan official statistics given corroborated with that of the UN Country Team statistics and was less than 10,000. Totally forgotten was the close to 300,000 Tamils the soldiers saved along with 12,000 surrendered LTTE combatants who fought in civilian clothing.
But the bandwagon of locals none of whom have a semblance of patriotism except doing anything for dollars and pounds led the ugly onslaught to name and shame Sri Lanka’s army. Most were heavily funded by LTTE diaspora as seen by the events organized by them to which these individuals were regular attendees. They all went to town to hold our army & intel services accountable in word only – no proof or evidence but because the unpatriotic press gave them space and columns their lies were promoted. The armed forces were demonized, degraded and the credit due to them were denied. Political pressures were such that even the Victory Day celebrations were forced to be renamed.
The well-funded efforts to show our war heroes as war criminals was next taken to the international arena. With foreign media, foreign envoys, UN & UNHRC all taking lead roles. Some who held plum posts went to Geneva to play to the LTTE gallery and paint the Sri Lankan Army as war criminals.
From the Sri Lankan Human Rights Commission head to the NGO circle heads and many others, the same forces that were too chicken to come out & condemn any of the LTTE atrocities are now talking as if they are the God’s gift to human rights & righteousness.
The links are clearly obvious. All that the LTTE diaspora elements & destabilizing agents demand are the very same that these HR & NGO activists are now attempting to delivery on their behalf as the regime change assisted by the foreign forces have cleverly placed them in prominent & powerful roles.
LTTE Diaspora demanded war crimes court against Sri Lanka’s Army and from foreign envoys, TNA, HR activists, NGOs, media all demanded same which was articulated via 3 UNHRC successive resolutions.
The resolutions were all flagrant violations of the UN Charter interfering in the internal affairs of Sri Lanka and called for the repealing of the Prevention of Terrorism Act and even a new constitution. Not surprisingly, all those that sided with LTTE through the years were promoters of this.
They were all promoters of the Office of Missing Persons Act, Enforced Disappearance Act – both of which would facilitate false evidence against war heroes and subject them to foreign judicial jurisdiction when the US soldiers in all of its illegal invasions are omitted of investigation as was recently seen in ICC withdrawing case against US troops.
The SLHRC head is also a promoter of repealing the PTA and in favor of the new Counter Terror Act that not only dilutes the powers vested in the PTA but is more of a political witch hunt to charge opposition on frivolous charges including media. Freedom of speech & expression would be greatly curtailed and many are of the view that an increasing unpopular government would benefit by passing a CTA to gag the opposition.
The SLHRC head is suddenly vested powers to whet military personnel nominated for peace keeping missions overseas and she is withholding nominations claiming them to have allegations of war crimes. When no one making blatant charges has produced names of the dead or even skeletons of the dead – how can any military personnel be charged with war crimes? Even the basic requirement of ‘proving guilt beyond doubt’ is missing. However, the paid media is used lavishly both in Sri Lanka & overseas to paid Sri Lanka’s Army as demons and devils.
Here are a few examples of a government bowing down to the bandwagon of vultures attempting to project Sri Lanka’s Forces as war criminals and painting the LTTE as squeaky clean completely ignoring the 30 years of terrorism LTTE inflicted on all and the brutalities LTTE committed not only against surrendered or captured military personnel but upon unarmed civilians too.
Throwing a war hero to the wolves to appease Tamil separatists; the real story behind the ‘Mirisuvil massacre’ needs to come out
LTTE is banned in UK. LTTE diaspora carries LTTE emblems and flags but nothing is done against them and their events are not even stopped inspite of massive cut outs of Prabakaran however, Brigadier Priyanka Fernando, inspite of holding diplomatic immunity issued warrant by UK police & later charges dropped. Power of LTTE diaspora lobby in UK seen.
Former Navy Spokesperson D. K. P. Dassanayake, who played a pivotal role in defeat of LTTE is arrested in July 2017 and denied bail. Eventually bail granted in January 2018 yet no charges filed.
Field Marshal Fonseka, in September, alleged that he had been denied a visa to attend the UNGA in 2017
When Maj. Gen. Shavendra Fernando was appointed the Chief of Staff, this is how foreign media reacted alleged war criminal named second-in-command of Sri Lanka army”
In Mar 2017 Maj.Gen. Chagi Gallage denied Australian visa citing the reason as war crimes accusations levelled against him.
https://srilankamirror.com/news/2418-chagi-gallage-denied-visa
Retired military intelligence head Major General Amal Karunasekera was arrested by the CID. Major Prabath Bulathwatte, Sergeant Duminda Weeraratne and Sergeant Hemachandra Perera of military intelligence were arrested but still no charges filed.
There are 2 intelligence officers on death row on questionable evidence. The secret nature of intelligence services is such that their identities and their scope of work are required to be classified and top secret but we know what happened when their names and details were released following the Millennium City debacle under this same government in 2002 resulting in 58 intelligence officers killed by LTTE. Many of the intel officers are now probably in hiding knowing the treacheries of this government in exposing their real identities and their work.
In 2018, Sri Lanka’s highest-ranking military officer, Admiral Ravindra Wijegunaratne was arrested.
Former Senior DIG Anura Senanayake, was arrested and remanded in May 2016 and granted bail only in June 2017. He was not even allowed to attend his daughter’s convocation.
Kapila Hendawitharana, former Chief of National Intelligence, Donald Perera, former Air Force Commander. Chief of Defence Staff during the war, Roshan Goonetillake – the Air Force Commander during the war, Jayanath Colombage – former Commander of the Navy was questioned by the FCID
Daya Ratnayake former Army Commander and a key figure in the Eastern theatre of the war, Major Gen. (Rtd) Udaya Perera – the Director Operations of the Army during the war, questioned by the Presidential Commission of Inquiry into Serious Acts of Fraud and Corruption
Jagath Jayasuriya, former Army Commander (Vanni Commander during the war.) Wasantha Karannagoda Commander the Navy during the war was extensively questioned by the CID.
While war heroes were getting arrested not only were LTTE combatants in prison getting released the Parliament even passes compensation for LTTE terrorists – another first!
Naturally, since 2015 when the decorated officers of the Armed Forces were ashamed in front of the nation, brought to questioning like common thieves and treated dismally even by the paid press who cared not to question why forces heads are being arrested without evidence and simply kept in prison without bail.
Most of these arrests almost always took place just before a UN official landed, or Geneva sessions were held or a Western/Indian envoy landed in Sri Lanka – it was as if this was what they were expecting and the government was waiting in anticipation for pat of the back to say ‘good show’.
This treatment of decorated war heroes, most of whom were not given extensions and made to retire had virtual puppets placed in their roles, people easy to manipulate and people who were willing to tow the appeasing line…Is it a surprise that when intel with such detail was sent with venues and names of the assassins, nothing is done to at least increase security at these venues and inform the hotel heads and church heads about the threat?
For demonizing the war heroes, making them think that patriotism is not the norm, giving them the message that they just needed to do their daily job & return home was enough to keep the entire system off guard more so because the appeasing government exposed internal systems not only to the enemies but even the enemy agents in politics linked to the LTTE diaspora were privy to confidential information.
Therefore, every HR, NGO activists including media that towed the separatist line and demonized and demoralize our war heroes have BLOOD ON THEIR HANDS of close to 300 people & hundreds of others who are injured & thousands of others who have got affected by these 9 suicide bombers. The hypocrisy is such that from the PM to even the TNA leaders and Sivajilingam, Mavai Senathiraja & Ananthi Sasitharan who were jumping up & down calling for the removal of the Armed Forces are now appealing to the government to increase the army in the North while the politicians are also seeking additional security for themselves by the very persons they were not shy to call war criminals. Probably, the NGO heads and others are also using the very army they demonized for their security too.
Such hypocrites we have – goes to show no education can make a person humane and compassionate and traitors would do anything for money.
The SLHRC is a government apparatus and such an apparatus cannot be allowed to vilify another government apparatus to such an extent of going to Geneva & play to the Eelam gallery and demotivate, demoralise and demonise Sri Lanka’s Armed Forces.
A future government must investigate governmental lapses and treacheries that has resulted in the bloodshed of innocents in the manner they have systematically weakened the military and intelligence set up.
A content analysis of their statements, their meetings, their ulterior motives as against the demands made by the separatist lobby and financial backers need to also be investigate and accountability has to happen.
Those that demand accountability from others must also learn to face the same music in the manner they have also been singing since January 2015.
Shenali D Waduge
Sri Lanka has been convulsed since the nine coordinated suicide-bomb attacks against Christian churches and five-star hotels on Easter Sunday. More than 250 people lost their lives and many others were injured on that fateful day. More terrorist suspects and vast amounts of explosives and equipment continue to be found in mosques, factories and homes across the country.
People are afraid to leave their homes and children are not going to school. After having defeated the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), the most lethal and well organizedterrorist organization in the world” in May 2009, Sri Lanka is again faced with terrorism and gripped with fear and insecurity.
Indian intelligence passed on information to Sri Lankan authorities of an imminent terrorist attack on April 4. Based on this alert, Sri Lanka’s police chief sent out a nationwide alert on April 11 warning of attacks on the Indian High Commission and churches. Indian intelligence again sent warnings on April 20 and about one hour before the bombs started exploding on April 21.
According to a report denied subsequently by Saudi Arabia, it also knew of the impending attacks and advised its mission in Colombo five days before Easter. A Sri Lankan government minister also warned his son of an impending attack. Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena was out of the country and Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe was out of town. The government failed to warn the public and tighten security allowing the carnage to take place.
It is now confirmed that the attacks were carried out by a local Islamic extremist group, National Towheeth Jamaath (NTJ), with support from ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria), which has claimed responsibility.
The Easter Sunday violence is widely attributed to inter-religious animosity on the island. Interfaith vigils are being held around the world to foster harmony among the country’s Buddhists, Christians, Muslims and Hindus. The overwhelming focus on religion as the root of conflict, however, diverts attention from the geopolitical dimensions of the violence.
Communal harmony and cooperation rather than violence and conflict are the predominant features of Sri Lankan society. Christians did not attack Muslims in the aftermath of the Easter bombings just as Buddhists did not take up violence against Tamils after innumerable LTTE massacres of Buddhists and attacks against Buddhist sacred sites during the course of the 30-year civil war. Even the 1983 anti-Tamil violence was not a spontaneous backlash but a government-orchestrated pogrom.
Both colonial and local rulers have manipulated grievances and incited ethnic and religious groups against each other during times of crisis and challenges to their authority. The violence against Muslims in Kandy in March 2018 is an example. The failure of the state to take timely action despite prior warnings contributed to a communal conflict. It allowed Prime Minister Wickramasinghe, who was then facing a no-confidence motion, to assert his authority.
The leader of the radical Buddhist group Bodu Bala Sena, Galagoda Ganasara, who called for a ban of the NTJ is serving a 19-year jail sentence. Despite the pleas of Buddhist monks, former justice minister Wijedasa Rajapaksa and moderate Muslim leaders like Kabeer Hashim, no action was taken against the spread of extremist Wahhabi ideology. Islamic schools and separatist Wahhabi culture spread over the past several years, particularly in Kattankudy in the Eastern Province, home of Muhammed Zaharan, the leader of the Easter attacks. The reliance of successive Sri Lankan governments on Muslim votes and Muslim politicians and the economic and political power wielded by Saudi Arabia and other external forces have been major factors in Sri Lankan government’s failure to curb the spread of radical Islam.
Even after the carnage on Easter Sunday which paralyzed the country, four leading Muslim politicians – the governors of the Eastern and Western provinces, a cabinet minister and a member of Parliament – M L A M Hizbullah, Azath Salley, Risad Badhuitheen and Mujibur Rahuman – who, critics claim, have connections to radical Islam or the wealthy families of the Easter suicide bombers, have not yet been questioned. According to reports, some terrorist suspects taken into custody have been released, presumably because of pressure from powerful politicians. Indeed, the country’s intelligence and security apparatus was greatly weakened after the change of government in 2015.
In January 2015, a US-backed government replaced the former Mahinda Rajapaksa government, which had defeated the LTTE. Soon thereafter, the new Sri Lankan government and the United States co-sponsored a United Nations Human Rights Council Resolution in Geneva with support from the international Tamil separatist lobby. The requirements in this resolution to account for alleged war crimes and missing persons in the final stage in the war against the LTTE put pressure on the Sri Lanka to set up war-crimes courts with foreign judges and an office of missing persons consisting of activists funded by Western non-governmental organizations.
The requirements of the UNHRC resolution also pressured the government to dismiss or imprison intelligence officers and army personnel. Forty intelligence officers who were involved in the anti-LTTE military effort are in prison apparently ‘without sound evidence against them’. These measures weakened Sri Lankan intelligence and security and increased dependence on India and the international community.”
Even after the Easter carnage, the UNHRC, Western governments and NGOs continue to dictate national-security policy. The government’s proposed new Counter Terrorism Act (CTA), which would replace the existing Prevention of Terrorism Act, is an example. While it is designed to protect ex-LTTE elements living abroad, it could be used to suppress student unions, trade unions, media freedoms and the opposition” and possibly postpone presidential and parliamentary elections due within the next 12 months.
Ever since the Easter bombings, Sri Lankan police and military have been working tirelessly to gather information, track down suspects, detect weapons and explosives and protect people. At the same time, both Wickramasinghe and Sirisena have been calling for foreign intelligence and cooperation to fight the global Islamic threat. The US Embassy has stated that the United States had sent in teams from both the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the US Navy’s Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM).
Military ties with the United States, which had been growing over the last few years, are rapidly being strengthened in the aftermath of the Easter terror attacks. There are rumors that the lapsed Acquisition and Cross Service Agreement (ACSA) has been renewed and that the government has entered a Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) with the US. Neither the public nor the Parliament have yet been informed of these matters vital to the sovereignty and independence of the country.
In August 2016 the first joint operation between the US and Sri Lankan militaries took place in Jaffna with participation of TNA (Tamil National Alliance) politicians at the launch. US Seventh Fleet vessels and the aircraft carrier USS John C Stennis have visited Trincomalee, a Sri Lankan port of great strategic military value in the Indian Ocean.
Last December, the US Navy announced the setting up of a logistics hub in Sri Lanka to secure support, supplies and services at sea. On December 31, US President Donald Trump signed the Asia Reassurance Initiative Act to strengthen the US strategic position in Asia vis-à-vis China. It is reported that between January 24 and 29 this year, Bandaranaike International Airport in Sri Lanka was used for US military planes to bring in supplies, and for aircraft aboard the John C Stennis to fly in, load, and ferry them back.” While this exercise was portrayed as a commercial activity,” Sri Lankan observers argue that such an operation could not have taken place without some bilateral agreement being in place.”
On April 27, in the aftermath of the Easter bombings, Wickramasinghe signed an agreement with the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) of the United States. Detailsleaked to the public are raising fears that the MCC Agreement is nothing but a plan to splinter Sri Lanka and turn it into a US military base.” A failure to heed the call to ‘reveal the contents of the agreement without any redactions to the general public’ will only deepen suspicions that Sri Lanka is being turned into a US military base to control South East Asia and the Indian Ocean against the rising regional and global power of China.
Developments surrounding the Easter attacks in Sri Lanka are raising questions if Islamic extremism is a justification for US military intervention and establishment of North Atlantic Treaty Organization bases around the globe? Are extremist Wahhabi ideology exported by Saudi Arabia and the creation of Islamic terrorism in selected countries, such as the Philippines and possibly Thailand, a political tool aiding geopolitical ambitions of the US, UK and other international interests?
Sri Lanka, an important partner of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, is strategically situated in the sea lanes of the Indian Ocean. The Shangri La Hotel where suicide bombs were detonated on Easter Sunday is located in the Port City in Colombo, a massive project of China and the largest single foreign direct investment in Sri Lanka. Destabilization of Sri Lanka via terrorism and ethno-religious conflict may serve short-term geopolitical interests of the US, India and the international community,” but it will only intensify destruction and chaos on the island and the suffering of the Sri Lankan people.
[Asoka Bandarage was educated at the University of Sri Lanka, Bryn Mawr College and at Yale University where she received a Ph.D. in Sociology. Ms. Bandarage has served on the faculties of Brandeis University, Georgetown University and Mount Holyoke College. Dr. Bandarage is the author of numerous books including Colonialism in Sri Lanka, Women, Population and Global Crisis, The Separatist Conflict in Sri Lanka, Sustainability and Well-Being: The Middle Path to Environment, Society and the Economy. Asoka publishes widely on South Asia, global political-economy, ethnicity, gender and ecology. She has given hundreds of presentations, including keynote lectures at South Asian Studies Conferences. She has also given numerous media interviews on CNN, Al Jazeera, BBC, NPR and Bloomberg News. In addition to her columns in the Huffington Post, Asoka serves on the boards of a number of publications and organizations including Critical Asian Studies and Interfaith Moral Action on Climate. She is currently a visiting professor at Georgetown University and Colorado College. See her website for more information.]
After the Easter Sunday attacks in Catholic Churches and Tourist Hotels in Colombo and Suburban areas, it seems that various comments and policy ideas have been published in media during the past several weeks. Many of publications were in the English language which attracted only a few readers and listeners. The history of racial/ethnical and religious problems in Sri Lanka goes back to centuries and the major reason for conflicts and differences could be considered as isolate and separate living of ethnical and religious groups in ghettos. In Sri Lanka people in racial/ ethnic, religious or castes reside in separate areas and they do not like to mix with other ethnical, religious or caste groups and this nature promotes the development of different cultures, traditions, beliefs, etc and it also restricts information going out about the activities of a community. In Western countries, it seems that human settlement policy does not encourage creating ghettos and promotes mixing different communities, ethnic and religious groups.
Human settlement policy or the environment in Sri Lanka promotes conflicts between communities and groups and the nature of this social system has created difficulties for government authorities such as police, intelligence agents and armed forces to gain information about the inside of communities. In history during the Dutch era districts of the country lined to encourage the further promotion of isolation of communities and restricting the allocation of governments lands to mixing of different communities. It appears that among Sinhala people, creating ghettos is not a problem as they mix with each other and they don’t want to maintain closed societies, but others such as Muslim and Tamils want to maintain closed societies or groups.
Except for Sinhala and Buddhist communities, all others such as Tamil, Muslim, Catholic, Christian communities have networked in various areas of the country. Within the Sinhala Community, it could have seen that the Sinhala community was also divided by religions such as Catholic, Christian and caste dictions, however, the division of the Sinhala community has radically changed after the political metamorphoses in 1956. Socially, it seems that the Sinhala community has been uniting to ignore the differences and the pace of changes in the Sinhala community does not reflect in other communities such as Tamil and Muslim.
Since the origination of the Kandyan Kingdom, the differences of the society have been sharpened and the British imperialism in the country used such divisions for the advantage of divide and rule policy. The vicious aspect of isolate living is the promotion of discriminations within a community. The personal law structure of the country seems to be fuelling the discrimination and major victims are women and children in isolated communities.
The major reason to create unreasonable personal laws, which contradict with common law and ethnic conflicts is a settlement system restricting other communities to go in. The proposed constitutional reforms of the Yahapalana regime promoted developing legally isolated communities. When Mr. J.R. Jayawardane was in power disagreed with the North and East merger as his view was, when population rapidly increases in Western Province, the lands of East should be allowed to accommodate excess population in the West. The Yahapalana regime attempted to gain political advantages through constitutional reforms and promote ghettos of communities or religious groups.
After 1970, Buddhists and Christians have mixed within Sinhala community and excellent reconciliation has developed among two religions and why other religious groups such as Hindus and Muslims cannot mix with Buddhists and Christians?
The following policy actions are essentially needed in the country.
Introduction
The question in the title is relevant to the current crisis in Sri Lanka. The sudden (actually, it was not sudden, it was years in the making, as it shockingly transpires now) incursion of ISIS terror is the only significant ‘foreign direct investment’ that the Yahapalana government has attracted, that too, at the tail end of its tenure. It could be good for its own unwelcome survival, but it is going to be unimaginably deadly and disastrous for one of the most peaceful and cultured nations of the world, if it is not immediately contained with might and main. To any concerned observer, it is clear that the real or sham tug of war between the two erstwhile foreign backed champions of good governance, the president and the prime minister, is undermining their joint ability to provide the proper unambiguous commanding and coordinating leadership that is indispensable for the national security agencies to deal with the volatile situation with efficiency. My layman’s opinion is that, had the powers of the executive president not been weakened as done by the 19th amendment, this kind of unnecessary rivalry between the executive and the legislative branches of the government would not have arisen. There may be certain shortcomings in the executive presidential system, but it has so far helped the country to overcome a number of crises successfully. Under the 1978 constitution, the president and the parliament were mutually dependent. But the 19th amendment enacted by the Yahapalana government has made it impossible for the president to dissolve a corrupt, malfunctioning parliament and allow the people to elect a new one. Seemingly, the principle that the people are sovereign (sovereignty lies in the people) and that the president exercises that sovereignty on behalf of all is being violated. This, I think, is the worst time for us to be talking about abolishing the presidential system of government or about making a new constitution.
Feeble attempts to deflect attention from the real perpetrators of the terrorist bombings
All Sri Lankans and other nations across the world who are sympathetic to them out of a sense of common humanity were shocked and distressed by the April 21st Easter Sunday terrorist bombings in Sri Lanka, which left more than 250 dead and double that number injured. It didn’t take long for the perpetrators to be identified as some Sri Lankan Islamists with connections to the ISIS. However, initially, it appeared that the knee jerk reaction to the news of the attacks on the part of most ill informed foreign observers, certain NGOs, foreign and some mainstream local media, and others similarly grown antipathetic to the majority community due to false propaganda was to speculate that these attacks could not have been carried out by anyone other than the so-called ‘Sinhala Buddhist extremists’. Some newspapers continued, for a few days, to illustrate their news stories with photos exclusively of weeping women with conspicuous dark red ‘pottus’ or bindis on their foreheads, creating the false impression that the victims were Tamil, with the contextual implication that the attackers were Sinhalese Buddhist extremists. NGOs and media looked askance at Buddhist monks. The BBC Colombo Sinhala language correspondent Azzam Ameen (who probably knew the truth about the identity of the attackers at first hand) initially connected the attacks to alleged Buddhist extremists. In a Twitter message, Eric Solheim, former Norwegian minister, and once long time peace-maker in Sri Lanka, arbitrarily attributed the bombings to ‘Sinhala extremists’. Jude Lal Fernando, at a service held in Dublin, Ireland, said that it was an underhand operation carried out by Sinhala Buddhists. The revelation that the attacks were actually the work of a local extremist Jihadist group known as the National Thawheed Jamath (NTJ) sponsored by the ISIS came to those who were looking forward to a confirmation of imagined Sinhalese Buddhist culpability for the mayhem as a secondary shock.
How the members of the majority community responded
While they were being thus misrepresented to the world by separatist sympathizers and irresponsible sensation-mongers in the media, Buddhists accounted for the largest number of volunteer blood donors who queued up near hospitals to give blood for the injured in need of it; monks invited the victimized Christians to hold their services in the Buddhist temples; a few monks were shown in a news video voluntarily participating in cleaning up work in a damaged church. Senior monks joined the Cardinal in consoling the grief and terror stricken Christians. To us Sri Lankans, this sort of compassionate behavior among Sinhalese Buddhists towards fellow citizens of whatever race or religion is a familiar thing. But it is in stark contrast to the image of the majority community that is prevalent abroad.
Friday Forum’s exclusive politics
The Friday Forum was formed, apparently, after the defeat of separatist terrorism in 2009. As they claim, it is ‘… an informal and self-financed group dedicated to democracy, good governance, human rights and the rule of law’ that works on a non-partisan basis. The composition of the membership shows that it is an elitist group that excludes representatives of the major Sinhala Buddhist culture of Sri Lanka. Their non-partisan claims are hollow; they are obliged to be partial to the parties that are closer to their class. Though the above stated ideals are laudable, their culturally alienated and isolated situation in the Sri Lankan body politic prevents them from doing anything constructive to influence the politicians that the hapless ordinary citizens have thrust on them by circumstances beyond their control. The negatively distorted image of the majority community outlined above is the one that the members of the FF, wittingly or unwittingly, project to the outside world through their occasional statements.
In a pre-poll media release dated January 2, 2015, they stated
This election gives us the opportunity to decide whether it is possible that we, our children and future generations will live in a country founded on the norms of participatory democracy, the rule of law and good governance, reinforced by an independent judiciary and public service. We must reflect on which of the choices before us best promises us a government which implements a model of sustainable and people-centred development, ensuring equitable allocation of resources and meeting the needs of all our people, particularly the most disadvantaged.”
They called upon
…..our fellow voters to consider which candidate gives us the best opportunity to achieve democracy, rule of law, peace and harmony in Sri Lanka, for ourselves and future generations”.
Whether the voters heard their call or not, the change of government the FF expected came about. Now the country is where it is. What the people are experiencing today in reality are the exact opposite of those objectives. We may guess how wretched the FF members should feel now as the leaders they implicitly trusted and championed in 2015 have proved themselves to be rogues who are inimical to the realization of the high ideals they hoped they’d achieve after the Yahapalanaya was set up in January 2015.
The government whose ouster was engineered with foreign assistance (probably these old well meaning armchair bound idealists were innocent of any knowledge of this) realized all those democratic goals to the maximum extent possible in the short five years that followed a devastating thirty-year civil conflict. The Yahapalanaya has undone every one of those achievements.
Making an importunate demand for a new constitution that no one wants
Less than nine months after the January 9, 2015 ‘revolution’, the voters were fed up with the ill performing Yahapalanaya, and they wanted earlier president back in the saddle as prime minister. Pollsters predicted a decisive victory for the UPFA of which the SLFP headed by the current president is the principal partner and which offered the former president as the prime ministerial candidate. The incumbent president Maithripala Sirisena’s strategic pre-poll eleventh hour disavowal of Mahinda Rajapaksa (‘I will not make Rajapaksa prime minister even if the UPFA wins the majority of seats’) demoralized the Mahinda loyalists among the voters and they didn’t go for casting their vote, which cost them 31 out of the 117 predicted (the UPFA got 95 to UNP’s 96 seats). Wasn’t this a good start for restoring democracy?
Neither the UNF nor the UPFA promised a new constitution in their manifestos for the presidential or the parliamentary elections. At the latter, neither alliance won the absolute majority of 113 seats needed to form a government by itself. But the UNF for Good Governance comprising the UNP and some minority parties led by UNP’s Ranil Wickremasinghe and the SLFP faction loyal to Maithripala Sirisena cobbled a so-called national governmnet. The survival of the government depends on the support given by the racist minority parties, who now have begun to call the shots. It is a minoritarianism at its worst. It is a vengeful inversion of the non-existent majoritarianism that minority politicians attribute to the normal Sri Lankan political power structure, a charge that buttresses the call for federalism. A statement issued by the FF (‘New Constitution A Must’) on August 17, 2017 asserts that
The peoples’ verdict at the Presidential election of January 2015 reflected the mandate of the people for a new constitution to remedy democratic deficits in Sri Lanka’s governance arrangements, nearly 40 years after the enactment of the current constitution.”
On the basis of this dubious ‘reflected …..mandate’ the Yahapalanites began a process for eventually introducing a ‘new constitution’ that no one asked for and no one promised at the elections. The FF repeated this call for a new constitution in a statement they issued two or three days after the recent Easter Sunday bombings carried by alleged NTJ terrorists. The following was composed in response to that statement:
Untimely call for the abolition of the presidential system of government
Professor Carlo Fonseka’s short Opinion piece ‘Abolish the Presidential System of Governance’ (The Island/April 27, 2019) prompted me to take a look at a Friday Forum feature published earlier in the same paper that I had deliberately skipped as something I couldn’t be doing with: ‘Easter Sunday’s suffering: Seeking and Finding Answers’ (The Island/April 26, 2019). This is a response to the latter, made without prejudice to Professor Fonseka.
18th Amendment
However, at the outset, a word must be said to reassure the well meaning Professor Fonseka. He regrets having supported the 18th amendment (later replaced under Yahapalanaya) ‘against (his) better judgement’, but in accordance with the policy of his party the LSSP. I am sure that, personally, he has a rational explanation for his disapproval of that amendment. I am without any party affiliation. My own ordinary citizen’s point of view, for what it was worth, of 18A, was positive as I explained in an article in The Island at the time of its being debated in parliament, and my opinion has not changed to date. The 18th amendment was not so harmful as the then opposition wanted us to believe in that particular historical context, though it was impossible for its chief proponent to avoid opposition allegations of excessive power hunger and undue dynastic ambitions, and other more substantive criticisms. But, the fear that the 18th amendment would pave the way for creating a ‘Mahinda Rajapakse-president-for-life’ phenomenon was entirely misplaced. The immediate purpose of the amendment, of course, was to make the most successful executive head of government Sri Lanka had ever had until then eligible to run for election for a third term after completing the constitutionally allowed two terms. As the UPFA that he led had over 140 MPs in the 225 member legislature, the passage of the amendment was not a problem. This made it possible for Mahinda Rajapaksa to contest a third time (at the 2015 January presidential election). But, to his disadvantage, the adoption of the new legislation (18A) was exploited by opposition rivals as a negative development under an alleged authoritarian ruler. No doubt, the charge was among the factors that contributed towards eroding the general popularity he enjoyed as the most suitable person to continue to lead the resurgent Sri Lanka that emerged under his leadership after the military defeat of separatist terrorism in May 2009. The 18th amendment did nothing more than remove an obstacle in the path of a popular leader who had served for two terms and done well enough in office to be considered for re-election for yet another term. It did not interfere with the people’s democratic right to deny him a third term if a majority of the electorate thought otherwise, as his defeat in 2015 showed. That this result had to be engineered with the involvement of foreign players is a different matter. As opposed to the 18th amendment, the 19th amendment that replaced it under the yahapalanaya administration is a really pernicious piece of legislation, that was fraudulently passed in parliament, as some constitutional experts, ordinary lawyers and other eligible commentators have pointed out. (The clause that says that Parliament can only be dissolved after the completion of four and a half years of its five year term was allegedly smuggled into the bill at the committee stage, because, according to the existing constitution, such a clause had to be passed by a two-thirds majority in parliament and ratified at a public referendum, which was an impossible requirement for the Yahapalanaya to fulfill. This fraud was casually admitted by one of the experts behind the drafting of 19A to the media.) It is due to 19A that Sri Lankans are forced to passively endure a government that they would love to get rid of at the first opportunity available. Their patience, love of peace, humanity, and faith in democratic values have never been so clearly demonstrated as at this present terror-stricken moment.
Friday Forum’s post-Easter Sunday terrorist bombing statement
Turning now to Friday Forum’s statement under the heading ‘Easter Sunday Suffering: Seeking and Finding Answers’ mentioned above which is my focus here, it exhibits the group’s customary lack of empathy with their own people, particularly the majority community. Most of the observations these reputed intellectuals make through this statement about the failures of governance that facilitated the recent attacks on some churches and hotels (in Negambo, Colombo and Baticaloa) are generally correct; but they cannot be counted as the sort of original revelations and unbiased judgements expected of savants like them in a national emergency to an innocent people stunned and immobilized in the wake of an apparently well organized terror strike by an unknown enemy motivated by an unknown objective. Instead, their sagely advice is that the presidential system of ‘governance’ be dismantled immediately, whereas the real priority at present is ensuring the physical security of the people from mindless terror and, as soon as possible, holding elections to elect a new president and a new parliament capable of containing the downward trend that has apparently started.
FF correct about appalling lapses in national security helping the carnage
In their statement, however, the FF correctly identifies the immediate cause of the recent violence as appalling lapses in national security that failed to prevent this carnage”. The criticism embodied in the demand that The President, the Prime Minister, the Secretary of Defence and the Inspector General of Police must explain to the nation why the State intelligence agencies did not pass on the specific and detailed prior warnings and information on the impending violence, so as to take preventive action” is also valid. Nevertheless, their admonition that the president and the prime minster should cooperate with each other, identify the perpetrators, and introduce a strong effective system of national security, though perhaps well meant, is self-consciously hollow in the circumstances; further, it is accompanied with a reservation that makes a sly, unfair dig at the war-winning pre-yahapalana government which had developed a most successful national security system and a sound economic plan managed by technocrats as even the former US ambassador Robert O Blake admitted during a presentation made at the BMICH on May 7, 2019. No one would question the validity of what the FF members advocate for the government to follow: They (prez and pm) must do so (i.e., mutually cooperate, identify the perpetrators of terror, and introduce a strong system of national security) while respecting the core values of democratic governance and fundamental rights in our constitution”. But the redundant cautionary words allude supportively to the false human rights violations and war crimes charges, the basis of the UNHRC Resolution 30/1, which the alleged local affiliate of the ISIS could be suspected to have exploited as a mitigating circumstance for the crime of visiting terror on Sri Lanka. Of course this could sound a bit too farfetched. Yet the wording of their advice seems to suggest that Sri Lanka has probably committed serious violations of human rights and crimes of war.
The current political situation in Sri Lanka arguably becoming extremely complex and convoluted by the hour. The majority of Sri Lankans have expressed their lack of confidence in the government since the Good Friday attack.
In spite of government assurances, the parents are refusing to send their loving children to schools. The shopkeepers are reluctant to resume their businesses for fear of reprisals. The workforce reluctant to report for work. The management of most companies have remained closed due to lack of work force, reduction of incoming sales orders or cancellation of existing orders. The service sector is paralysed, home craftsmen’s’ activities eroded, factories have reduced their shift working hours or temporary closed down. These factors results in erosion of export trade. Imported goods are stock piling at the Port containers causing demurrages and stevedoring charges. Due to reduction of volume of products and services, the selling prices are becoming prohibitive.
In the midst of all these, the Prime Minister and the President are playing games. They don’t see each other eye to eye. The government is dysfunctional. The situation cannot be rectified by sacking few selected Cabinet Ministers or Governors. The situation is much larger and pose a serious threat to Sri Lanka’s independence as a sovereign nation.
All Members of Parliament who realize the dangers of Sri Lanka becoming unsafe place to live, should support a No Confidence Motion against the entire Government and the Cabinet of Ministers, so that a snap General Election could be called.
Buddhists account for about 95% of the population of Thailand and most foreigners refer to it as the Land of Yellow Robes”. Buddhism has been the established ‘religion’ or spiritual force in Thailand for many centuries, according to some historic sources, since the 9th century, and therefore has had a marked influence on the lives of the people of Thailand. Buddhism has been the main spring from which flow its culture and philosophy, its art and literature, its ethics and morality, and many of its folkways and festivals. There are more than 21,000 Buddhist shrines and monasteries scattered throughout the country. Thailand is a country where the king is constitutionally stipulated to be a Buddhist and the upholder of Buddhism. All the Thai kings in the recorded history of present-day Thailand have been adherents of Buddhism.
Thailand is one of those rare countries in South and Southeast Asia which was not under European colonial powers at any time in its history and therefore not subject in the past to the influence of Catholicism or Christianity.
A SMALL MINORITY OF MUSLIMS
Muslims account for a mere 4.6% of population. About two-third of Muslims in Thailand are ethnically Malay and the balance are those who have migrated to Thailand from China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Cambodia, Myanmar and Bangladesh. The Malay Muslims of Thailand are concentrated in the southernmost provinces of Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat, Songkhla and Chumphon. Their language is a dialect of the Malay language. Most of the non-Malay Muslims are scattered here and there in Thailand with a concentration in Bangkok. Northern Thailand is home to some Burmese, Pakistani and mixed Muslims. In the far North and in some Central and Southern urban centres there are some Thai Muslims of Chinese Hui origin.
Most of Thailand’s Muslims consider themselves to belong to the Sunni branch of Islam and almost all mosques are associated with Sunni Islam. However, the Islamic faith in Thailand has become integrated with many beliefs and practices not integral to Islam. In the South, animistic practices indigenous to Malay culture are mixed with Islam. There are 3,494 mosques in Thailand with the largest number in Pattani province in the South. There are more than 200 Muslim schools in Thailand.
ISLAMIC SEPARATIST INSURGENCY
A separatist insurgency is taking place in Southern Thailand, particularly in the Pattani region which is made up of three southernmost provinces. Its beginnings were evident in the latter half of the 20th century and in recent decades, Muslim separatists have increasingly and openly rallied against the central government of Thailand, accusing the government of ethnic-religious bias, discrimination and corruption.
In recent years Islamic extremists have been spreading fear among the indigenous Buddhists of the region, using violence and brutality. They have resorted to the random killing of Buddhists, including school teachers and Buddhist monks. Also, they have murdered Muslims working in public institutions in Southern Thailand and those who are suspected to be supportive of the Thai Government and members of the Thai Military forces. A brutal attack on a Buddhist temple in the town of Pattani in 2005 is seen as an attempt by militants to deepen the religious divide between Muslims and Buddhists in Thailand’s deep South. About 20 insurgents stormed the Promprasith Temple in Pattani’s Panare district, armed with assault rifles, knives, machetes, fireworks and petrol. They then hacked a 76-year-old monk to death while two teenage temple novices died in the hail of gunfire. The temple was set ablaze. The news from Promprasith came as a shock to the rest of Thailand. Muslims and Buddhists had lived in this area in harmony and peace for a long time. Buddhists here never had any conflict with their Muslim neighbors. The militants appear to be outsiders who want to create a rift between Buddhists and Muslims. The increased occurrence of violence in the South has been spilling over into other provinces as well.
During 2000, authorities responded with military force and legal action to separatist activity in the south. In February 2000, security forces dealt a severe blow to the New Pattani United Liberation Organization, a Muslim separatist group and killed its leader who was responsible for 90 percent of the terrorist activities in Narathiwat, a southern Thai province. In 2004, the Thai government officially recognized attacks in Thailand as terrorist acts performed by the various insurgent groups that were in the country.
INCREASING TREND IN VIOLENCE
Although separatist violence has occurred for decades in the southern region, the campaign escalated in 2004. Over 4300 lives have been lost since the year 2004 owing to Islamic insurgency. Buddhist monks have been beheaded, children killed and civilians attacked. More than 500 people have been killed in 2004 in three southern Thai provinces. Massive killings occurred throughout the mid to late 2000s and as of 2010, nearly 4,000 people had been killed due to insurgent violence. The death toll has increased to 2,579 by mid-September 2007 and surpassed 3000 in March 2008. By the end of 2010, insurgency-related violence had increased. In the first few weeks of January in 2011 nine Buddhists have been killed in Southern Thailand by Islamic terrorists. In a separate attack four members of Thai armed forces have been killed. Many Buddhists have left their traditional home in Southern Thailand in order to escape the ongoing Islamic insurgency.
According to Lee Jay Walker (www.theseoultimes.com) writing to The Modern Tokyo Times, under the title Islamic Terrorists kill more Buddhists in Southern Thailand”, states that Southern Thailand resembles modern day Afghanistan and Somalia because in both these nations the radical Sunni Islamists show their extreme intolerance of other faiths. In addition to Buddhists, moderate Muslims are also being killed by radical Sunni Islamic fanatics of Southern Thailand. The methodology of killing is intended to spread fear to all who oppose the Islamization of Southern Thailand.
GRUESOME NATURE OF VIOLENCE
Professor Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a Professor of International Relations at Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University says “The gruesome fashion of beheadings of Buddhists by Muslim assailants … is not normal violence…” “it is driven by deep animosity and hatred.” Muslim extremists believe that violence, including killing civilians, is justified as a means to restore sharia or Islamic law and maintain Islamic cultural identity. According to the adherents of this brand of Islamist activism, they are engaged in a jihad or a holy struggle against Islam’s enemies, including even fellow Muslims who have abandoned what the extremists view as true” Islam.
HATE LITERATURE AGAINST BUDDHISTS
One approach that these extremists use in Southern Thailand is the distribution of hate literature in the form of pamphlets, against the Buddhists. They are meant to intimidate the local Buddhist community. They are also used a warning mechanisms. One such Document states “Dear every Siamese Buddhist Thai who lives near the police stations……I’ll give you three days for you to leave my land. Otherwise, I will kill, burn, destroy all Buddhist Thai property……The Buddhist Thai will never live in peace. If you leave the house, travel or go to work, you will die violently. I will wait for you for 24 hours, in every direction” (Pamphlet No.22). Another states “The Islamic warriors of Pattani announce the purpose that we will never stop killing the Siamese kafir (infidel) and will never stop destroying army weapons, the economy, politics, education and the Siamese kafir society until we regain the land of Pattani and establish the state of Pattani Darulslam. I ask for Muslim Malays to be the witnesses.” (Pamphlet No 23).
ISLAMIC INSURGENT GROUPS
In the 20th century, there were 5 main Islamic insurgent groups responsible for terror attacks in Thailand. One group was called the Patani Malay National Revolutionary Front-Coordinate, or BRN-Coordinate. The second insurgent group was the National Liberation Front of Patani (BNPP) which was the first organized armed resistance group active in the 1970s and 1980s, but had become defunct. The third insurgent group was the Patani United Liberation Organization (PULO) operating mainly from exile in Syria and Sweden where its supporters lived. It had a working relationship with BRN. The fourth insurgent group was the Islamic Mujahidin Movement of Patani (GMIP) formed in 1995 by Afghanistan war veteran Nasoree Saesaeng. This group was linked to the Malaysia-based militant organization Kumpulan Mujahidin which, in turn had close ties with the Indonesia- based Jemaah Islamiya. The fifth main insurgent group was the United Front for the Independence of Patani, commonly known as Bersatu.
INVOLVEMENT OF FOREIGN MUSLIM NATIONS
In the last decade, there has been evidence that Islamic institutions of foreign Muslim nations have been involved in promoting Islamic radicalization and the doctrine of Islamic Jihad in Thailand. Thai authorities knew for quite some time that many Muslim Thai activists had been to overseas Islamic schools, where they came under influence of hard-line Muslim teachers. Some were reported to have joined the jihad against the Soviet Army in Afghanistan and returned to Thailand as extremists.
According to Michael Scott Doran, a Professor of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University, this brand of Islamist extremism is not a new phenomenon. The basic sentiment of today’s Muslim extremists has flourished in the Islamic world for decades. In recent decades the newfound wealth of the oil-rich Middle Eastern Islamic countries and massive immigration of Muslims to the West, Islamic fundamentalism has been on the rise and the dormant spirit of Jihadism has been rekindled once again. This fervor has been translated into various forms of upheavals and terrorism and world peace has been put in jeopardy. In 2001 it was reported that of the 28 terrorist organizations in the world, 11 are Islamist and that there were thousands of Islamist terrorists in more than 60 countries.
MUSLIM MADRASAS INDOCTRINATE THE YOUNG
Another approach that these extremists use is enumerated well by Zachary Abuza in his book titled Militant Islam in Southeast Asia (Crucible of Terror). It highlights the role of Islamic schools called Madrasas in indoctrinating the younger generation. The author comments that “In their pursuit of the creation of Islamic states, many Southeast Asian jihadis established Islamic schools to indoctrinate, propagate, and recruit. The leaders of many militant groups in Southeast Asia, including the Laskar Jihad, Kampulan Mujahidin Malaysia, and Jemaah Islamiya, returned from Afghanistan and established a network of madrasas as the base of their operations and recruitment.” These radical Islamic madrasas, with unrestricted material support from foreign Muslim countries, have begun to recruit and brainwash many Muslim children and youth in Islamic Jihadist movement and Islamic fundamentalism. This is a dangerous trend and a great threat to peace and security of Thailand.
THAI MUSLIMS TRAINED IN FOREIGN MADRASAS
The extensive media reporting in Pakistan on the presence of foreign students in Pakistani madrasas, which followed the reports of the involvement of three British citizens of Pakistani origin in the London explosions of July 7, 2005, has revealed the presence of nearly a thousand Thai Muslims from Pattanis, in the Pakistani madrasas. Until the Pakistani media gave an estimate of the number of Thai students in their madrasas, the world was not aware of the large number of Thai Muslims in Pakistani Madrasas. It is now known that madrasas in Bangladesh also contain large numbers of Thai Muslims. Many of these Thai Muslims have enrolled themselves in the madrasas of the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) and Baluchistan, which are the hotbeds of the activities of the Taliban and the Wahhabi-Deobandi organizations of Pakistan. Some of them have also undergone training in the jihadi training centres of the Taliban and Gulbuddin Heckmatyar’s Hizbe Islami (HEI) and have been participating in the current Taliban-HEI-Al Qaeda offensive in Afghanistan from sanctuaries in the NWFP and Baluchistan.” South Asia Analysis Group — Terrorism in Southern Thailand by B. Raman, Paper No. 1501, 15/08/2005.
Thai authorities are investigating possible links between separatist groups and Islamic terrorist organizations such as Jemaah Islamiyah, which seeks a pan-Islamic state in Southeast Asia. It’s blamed for attacks including the 2002 bombing in Bali that claimed 202 lives.
MALAYSIAN CONNECTION
Thailand’s Muslim youth often go to Malaysia to study, especially in the northern state of Kelantan, where terrorists wanted by Thai authorities have allegedly gone into hiding. Indeed, Malaysia hasn’t just served as a safe haven for Thai religious warriors. Until the late 1990s, Indonesian hate preacher Abu Bakar Bashir, now in detention in Jakarta on charges of “planning to overthrow the government,” taught at a Malaysian religious school, where he indoctrinated the members of terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah, who killed 202 people in the October 2002 nightclub bombings on the resort island of Bali.
Terror is everywhere. Although Indonesia recently reported the death of dangerous bomb-maker Azahari bin Husin a member of the notorious Indonesian terrorist organization Jemaah Islamiyah and the man believed responsible for the 2002 attacks in Bali, among other acts of terror, the whereabouts of the more than 40 suicide bombers he trained remain a mystery.
Despite problems in Thailand and Malaysia, international observers and Western intelligence experts are even more concerned about Indonesia, Southeast Asia’s largest country. With its 212 million inhabitants, including 185 million Muslims, the giant island nation is the world’s most populous Islamic country.
Indonesian authorities have arrested more than 200 members of terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah in recent months, but acts of terror committed by Muslim fanatics have not subsided. Six hooded men in black staged an especially brutal attack in 2005 on the island of Sulawesi, where they beheaded three Christian schoolgirls in their uniforms and placed one of the severed heads in front of a church (MARCH OF THE EXTREMISTS, Attacks Threaten Religious Harmony in Southeast Asia, By Jargen Kremb ,Translated from the German by Christopher Sultan, November 21, 2005).
HATRED TOWARDS NON MUSLIMS
Extremist Muslims in particular appear to dislike all ‘infidels’ – Buddhists, Christians, Hindus and Jews. Also, there is evidence that some Muslims hate each other and murder each other. Sunnis slaughter Shias, Shias slaughter Sunnis, both Shias and Sunnis join together to slaughter Ahamediyas. Bloodshed, mass murder, terrorism and violence appear to be a part of Muslim culture then and now (Islamic Terrorists Kill More Buddhists in Southern Thailand, Assyrian International News Agency – Posted 1-27-2011, http://leejaywalker.wordpress.com).
The history of Islam is a story of constant war and suppression of other peoples in the world. The constant inclination of Islam has been to wage war and capture foreign lands. Prophet Mohammad himself led military expeditions and killed people with his own hands. The Arab Empire was won and consolidated by Islamizing its peoples using the fury of its faith in god who desires everyone to submit to him.
Most of the Koran is replete with passages that call for war on unbelievers and venomous hate of those who would not acknowledge its god. The following quotation from the Koran will illustrate the mentality of Prophet Mohammed. Let those who would exchange the life of this world for the hereafter fight for the cause of god, whoever fights for the cause of god whether he dies or triumphs, we shall richly reward him… The true believers fight for the cause of god but the infidels fight for the devil. Fight then against the friends of Satan…
NON-MUSLIMS ARE INFIDELS
The intention of Thailand’s radical Sunni Islamists is to have a land with no Buddhists and to create an Islamic Sharia state. The usual beheadings of innocents is deemed to be justified on the grounds that non-Muslims are infidels in accordance with the Koran and Hadiths. This applies to the Koran for 9:29 states “Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the last day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and his apostle nor acknowledge the religion of truth of the people of the Book (Jews and Christians) until they pay jizya (tax on non-Muslims) with willing submission and feel themselves subdued.”
Verse 9:73 in the Koran also states “O Prophet! Strive hard (wage war) against the unbelievers and the Hypocrites and be firm against them. Their abode is Hell, — an evil refuge indeed.” While the Hadith 9:4 says “Wherever you find infidels kill them; for whoever kills them shall have reward on the Day of Resurrection.”
Zachary Abuza, the author of “Militant Islam in Southeast Asia,” states that Buddhists have been forced to flee in a “de facto ethnic cleansing.” He further continued by stating that “The social fabric of the south has been irreparably damaged.” Meanwhile Sunai Phasuk, a political analyst at Human Rights Watch, comments that “Buddhist monks have been hacked to death, clubbed to death, bombed and burned to death.” Therefore, it is clear that this Sunni Islamic insurgency is following a path that involves the destruction of all non-Muslim elements within society or the complete subjugation of all non-Muslims by the rule of fear.
THE ULTIMATE OBJECTIVE
The most notable movement in the region is Jemaah Islamiya which is often linked with Al Qaeda and this Sunni terrorist Islamic organization desires to create more chaos and hatred in order to spread its influence and obtain its ultimate objective. This objective, just like the radical Sunni Islamic objective in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Somalia, and other nations, is to create an Islamic Sharia state and enforce the slavery of non-Muslims by a policy of total subjugation based on fear. They have threatened parents to not send their children to any school but the private Islamic schools. They have forced businesses closed on Fridays. Suffis and moderate Sha’afis have been routinely targeted. Also, it is noticeable that more women are covering up in purdah.
Overall, it is clear that elements within Southern Thailand desire a non-Buddhist land. The younger generation of Muslims are being brainwashed against Buddhists. This hatred and alienation of the younger generation began after many studied at international universities throughout the Middle East. Funding from the Middle East is being used to spread radical Sunni Islamic versions of Islam. Although the hidden war in Southern Thailand by radical Sunni Islamists is being aimed at moderate Muslims and Buddhists alike, the Buddhists it is feared face complete annihilation and one day Southern Thailand may end up like Afghanistan, Central Asia, and other areas which once had thriving Buddhist communities.
A CHALLENGE TO THAI MILITARY
Growing violence is proving a challenge to the Thai military. “The most dangerous battle in Southeast Asia’s religious melting pot”, says terrorism and al-Qaida expert Rohan Gunaratna, “is currently being waged in Southern Thailand.” Not a day goes by here without an attack. On some days, state-run schools are set on fire and teachers murdered, and on others unknown attackers in pickup trucks target Muslim teahouses in drive-by shootings. A train carrying military recruits was blown from its tracks in 2005. Armed assailants armed with machine guns and hand grenades wiped out a nine-member Muslim family because the father had worked as a police informant.
INVOLVEMENT OF TAMIL LTTE TERRORISTS
The LTTE Tamil terrorists were involved with Muslim activists of Southern Thailand during the latter part of the 20th century, especially in the Phuket area of Southern Thailand. There LTTE Tamil terrorists were involved in heroin smuggling with the assistance of Muslim activists. They used drug proceeds to purchase weapons which were transported to Sri Lanka for terrorist activities. In 2000, Thai government pledged to halt the use of Thailand as a logistics base by the LTTE following the discovery in June 2000 of a partially completed submarine at a shipyard in Phuket, in Southern Thailand, owned by an LTTE-sympathizer. They also discovered an unclassified paper by Canadian intelligence published in December 2000 that outlined the LTTE use of front companies to procure weapons via Thailand.
DISRESPECT, DISREGARD AND INDIFFERENCE
Why do Muslims battle all societies they infiltrate? Also, why are Muslims not accommodative of non Muslims living in Muslim countries, especially by not permitting them to freely practice their religions? Why are there no Muslim democracies? These are relevant questions for one to pose. The fact is that in general, Muslims are more intransigent, belligerent and are notoriously militarized, and thus are disproportionately involved in conflicts in the world (http://www.thereligionofpeace.com). It is common knowledge that although Muslims speak of brotherhood, there is strong disunity and dislike among the various Muslim factions. Sunnis dislike Shias, Shias dislike Sunnis, both Shias and Sunnis join together to harass the Ahamediyas. All Muslims dislike all infidels – Buddhists, Jews, Christians, Sikhs and Hindus. Buddhists, wherever in the world they live, are accommodative of other religions. Also, unlike in the case with Muslims, Buddhists, whatever may be the countries they belong to, whatever may be the schools of Buddhism they observe – Mahayana, Theravada, Vajrayana, Zen, there is no disharmony or animosity at all among them.
History reveals vividly how Muslims invaded many former Buddhist countries and subjugated their people subjecting them to extreme forms of violence and untold misery unless people converted to Islam. There have been problems of a varied nature in all countries where Muslims form a minority. Indonesia and Malaysia were Buddhist countries at a certain time in history. With Muslim invasions most of the Buddhists in these places were either killed or converted to Islam. More recently in 2001, in the name of Islam, the Taliban destroyed the world renowned monumental Bamiyan Buddha statues built in the 6th century, citing that these were ‘idols’ which are forbidden under Sharia law in Islam. These actions show disrespect, disregard and sheer indifference towards people of other religions. Such attitudes do not allow any community to assimilate with other communities, especially with mainstream communities in countries where they live as a minority.
Dr. Daya Hewapathirane
Vancouver, Canada
Pictures of Muslim Violence against Buddhists in Thailand
නාරා ටී අරුණ්කාන්තන් සමස්ත ලංකා හින්දු සම්මේලනයේ සභාපතිවරයායි, අප්රේල් 21 වනදා බෝම්බ ප්රාහාරය එල්ලවීමට ප්රථම එම ත්රස්ත ක්රියා සම්බන්දව හින්දු ජනතාව බොහෝ තොරතුරු ලබා දී ඇත,ඔවුන්ට එහීදී තොරතුරු සන්නිවේදනය සදහා ඔවුන් කතාකරන දමිළ බස ඉවහල් වී ඇත,ඔවුන් කියන්නේ රටේ වෙනදේවල් ඇත්තටම දනගන්න දමිළ බස ඉගෙනගන්න කියායි, නැගෙනහිර පලාතේ සිදුවන අන්තවාදී ආක්රමණය නිසාවෙන් දැනටමත් කෝවිල් 18 කට වැඩි ප්රමාණයක් මෙමෙ ආක්රමණයට නතුව ඇති බව පවසන ඔහු මේ රටේ බහුතර ජනයා සමග සුහදව ජීවත්විය නොහැකි නම් ලෝකයේ වෙනත් කිසිදු රටක ජීවත්විය නොහැකි බවද පවසයි. මෙමෙ වැඩසටහන තුලදී ඔහු නැගෙනහිර ආන්ඩුකාර හිස්බුල්ලා ගැන පලමුවරට විශේෂ හෙලිදරව්වක් සිදුකරයි, ඔහුවිසින් එම පලාතේ තමන්ට කැමති විනිසුරුවරුන් පමණක් තබාගන්නා බවටද චෝදනා කරයි
According to scientific theory, the universe evolved from a big bang and not a creation of god. There is theory, mathematics and scientific evidence to support the ‘big bang’ theory.Science is continuously evolving and scientists reject theories that do not agree with evidence. Scientists can challenge each other and very few theories remain the same over time. There is no evidence of a god. Scientists also say life evolved from organic molecules and their theory is supported by evidence. However theories on the origin of life are not conclusive. According to science, using DNA evidence, Sinhalese, Tamils Muslims and other ethnic groups are interrelated and absolutely there is no need to kill each other. As for god, it is a man made belief system. In UK, 53 % do not believe in any religion. In China and Japan, religion is kept merely for ceremonial purposes. In my view, a religion is a mind virus designed to control the mind of the believer, using NLP techniques. If we want to stop terrorism, then we have to stop deranged persons brain washing vulnerable persons.
Islam is a medieval religion with a number of medieval practices such as honor killing, stoning to death, cutting of hands and so on, which are unacceptable in a civilized society. People are free to believe whatever they want in Sri Lanka. However problems arise when Islam followers want to kill nom believers. Killing is a criminal offence and any madradsas or mosques that preach killing of non believers should be banned. Further mosques and madrasas should be closely monitored by the intelligence community. Muslim countries do not even allow a Buddhist statue to be brought into their respective countries. Why do we allow uncontrolled construction of madrasas ? Do we have a spine ? Do we have a voice to make the idiotic rulers listen? What do Mahanayakes do ?
Is it true that Muslims that leave their faith would be killed /
Is it true that Govt. Muslim texts promote killing those that leave the faith?
Peace loving Muslims should be respected and should not be harasses in any manner. Any issues should be resolved through dialogue, discussion and debate.
We live in a world which is multicultural and multiethnic. To live in peace, we have to be tolerant and lean to cooperate and learn to live in peace. Sri Lanka is a multicultural, multi ethnic country and we need to live in harmony and in peace. However, if a group of Islam followers want to convert Sri Lanka to a Muslim country and kill non believers to get favors from their god, to get 72 virgins in heaven, then it is a threat to all peace loving Sri Lankans. It is alleged that , Muslims breed like rabbits, until their numbers get significant. At that point, the natives face the option of getting killed or getting converted to Islam. An Australian program showed a case where a Muslim family had 10 children. Uncontrolled reproduction would result in massive resource problems including food needs,water needs, housing needs, hospital and medical needs, employment needs, school needs deforestation, climate change, ethnic imbalance and so on. We should monitor the number of Muslims in Sri Lanka, their population distribution, their wealth distribution and so on to determine if the Muslims pose a threat to national security. All peace loving Sri Lankans, Sinhalese, Tamils and other ethnic groups that want to live in peace, need to unite and defeat these barbarians.
An excellent presentation is produced by Dr Swamy, who has given an accurate representation of how the Muslims operate. In my view Dr Swamy is a non racist, straight taking Tamil politician that I respect tremendously. I strongly recommend that this presentation be watched ref. 1 and learn from it.
Islamic terrorists recently killed over 250 entirely innocent people in the name of Islam. Killing non believers, a criminal act, appear to be a standard practice of a flavor of Islam. It appears that these terrorists suffer from some form of mental problem due the indoctrination they received in a madrasa.
Muslim invaders mercilessly killed Buddhist monks at Nalanda. Buddhism in India and Nepal, source countries of Buddhism, never revived after the Nalanda debacle. If Buddhism was any good, Buddhism would have thrived in these countries. Various flavours of Buddhism exist in Japan and China. In Japan,they have selected good things of Buddhism and integrated with Shintoism. They believe in maximum customer satisfaction and maximizing desires. In China Buddhism is mixed with local belief systems and Chinese gods. In both of these countries, Buddhism is used for ceremonial purposes, rather than as tools to deal with economic issues.
We have not developed strategies to deal with the serious threat presented by a violent branch of Islam.
In Sri Lanka, whilst the totally incompetent Yahapalanaya rulers were ruling, more likely sleeping, Islamic followers managed to establish indoctrinating establishments, training camps, collect weapons and collect other items for killing. They also built up facilities for a Sharia University.
Due to terrorist activities Tamil groups have united as reported in the media. The Sinhalese and Tamils have integrated to some extent. As for myself, I am race blind, and wish to treat all humans as equals. I have close relatives and friends who are Tamils.
It is sad to know that I do not know of an effective, active organization established to protect the interests of the Sinhalese. We need a non racist, defensive organization to protect the interests of the Sinhalese. Of course there are organizations to protect Buddhism. Some may say these organizations protect Indian beliefs that even Indians have dumped. The Indian belief system that promote seeking extinction and that promote giving up desires is a recipe for self destruction. This belief system has been rejected by Indians. However some Sinhala Buddhists appears to safeguard this self destructive belief system. The belief system is dangerous, as the world is dangerous and highly competitive. Every living organism has to compete for resources and has to compete to survive. Any one who wants to suppress desires and seek extinction will automatically and without effort will get wiped out. In a highly competitive, dangerous world, giving up desires and seeking extinction is very foolish and is a sure way to get wiped out. Yet some Sinhala Buddhists feel this is the way forward.
In order to survive and thrive, we have to get our mind and thinking correct, rather than rely on ancient Indian beliefs.
Media reports indicate that the right Royal idiot RW, of Batalanda fame, closed down intelligence gathering units to appease minorities. It would appear that this dismantling of intelligence units by this idiot may have contributed to the deaths caused by terrorists.
Politicians that appease Muslims to get their votes should be exposed. Politicians who gave free Burkas to Muslims did so to appease them to get their votes. Who initiated free Burkas ?.
There are Children in remote areas without basic necessities and why are they ignored?
Displace Sinhalese and Tamils should be allowed to go back to their homes. Buddhist monks in remote areas should be supported. Please see ref. 2
Another possible approach to deal with Islamic indoctrination is to teach the essence of all major religions, as a part of religious studies to all students. This is the approach taken in UK.
Finally, SOFA is a very serious threat to Sri Lanka and must not be signed.
I wish to thank the contributors of the excellent reference material given below.
1. https://www.lankaweb.com/news/items/2019/05/11/dr-subramanian-swamy-talks-on-islam-english/
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4UC33N8KLw
4. https://exmuslims.org/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIzZrUnKeZ4gIVgvhRCh0rbQH7EAAYAiAAEgIDrvD_BwE
6. https://www.lankaweb.com/news/items/2019/05/08/at-last-a-true-muslim-with-guts-to-tell-the-truth/
Call Spade a Spade!
Sudden burst of Muslim fundamentalism leading to Terror did not spring over-night!
More Devastation Using High Technology-in-the-Air!
Both Literally & Metaphorically!
Muslim Islamism has been spreading its murderous seeds of radicalism seriously since 9/11. Single terrorist attacks took place in Brussels, London, several EU cities
The Madrasses in Bangladesh supported by wealthy Muslims in several Middle East countries, and even banks, have been funding “sleeper units” to Singapore, Philippines, Sri Lanka, for many years. The take-over of Maldives was done with surgical precision, while both India & Sri Lanka, dozed-off.
The ideal strategic target dreamt by the ISIS is, Sri Lanka, politically & economically in an absolute mess, with powerful Muslim traders with direct connections to ISIS, holding strategic positions in the government and in commerce.
Whilst LTTE Tamil Terror was largely local but supported by Indians, ISIS Terror is funded and controlled by a Global operation, almost out-of-reach of CIA & Mossad.
With ISIS being driven out of Iraq-Syria by the Western Forces, over 8000 ISIS trained radicals moved to European Union countries, mainly to Germany, Benelux, where the ISIS are planning simultaneous attacks, similar to those in Sri Lanka, which will demonstrate a new dimension in Planning & Plan Implementation.
An attack on several passenger aircraft on Take-off or Landing, in several different international airports simultaneously, to create an act greater than 9/11, by ISIS, to demonstrate their Technology & Management skills, may happen during 2019.
The attacks by Single Suicide Terrorist may have reached an end, due to the awareness of the back-pack highlighted by the Easter Sunday Massacre in Sri Lanka.
Already on 4th of August 2018 demonstrated the New Airborne Terror, using Drones-UAV with a payload of explosives, detonated on the President of Venezuela.
Several Drones were purchased in USA, as advertised in Amazon, dis-assembled, and taken by several couriers to Caracas Venezuela, then re-assembled, Radio Frequencies changed, and two Drones were re-assembled, armed with explosives, and flown to the Presidential platform. The first Drone missed the President, but exploded, and the second exploded on impact, destroyed a window of a building behind the platform..
The prospect of new Drone-UAV attacks, laden with Explosives, Sulphuric Acid, VX Nerve Agent, Anthrax, Cyanide are potential projections.
The Updated Terror Modules are not only restricted to Europe or Asia, where Drones laden with HazMat, may be directed at Airports, Prisons, Crowded events such as Sports or Musical, but also to VVIP Motorcades.
One seriously potential targets by the Radical ISIS Terrorists is the Multi-million gathering of Muslims at Mecca & Medina.
A Toy Drone-UAV laden with normal white cooking flour exploded in the midst of Mecca annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, may lead to Panic Stampede, of hundreds of thousands humans in their white robes, trying to escape the White Powder. The result is un-imaginable headache to Saudi Arabian authorities to treat the injured and the dead!
The current Technological solutions sold by Israel used in London Gatwick, London Heathrow and in Helsinki Finland, did not recognize the multiple Drone-UAV Intrusion, until the Drones-UAV left the Airport Airspace.
These were potential Trials to check the temperature of the Protection & Control of Airspace.
Most likely the next Drone-UAV Intrusion might wake-up several National Governments, when the fully loaded 300+ passenger aircraft are attacked at Midnight!
Let us hope that the Defence Authorities take serious note of this serious potential danger and act soonest to protect human lives!
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These articles were found in the papers today .It was an interesting subject rather than lamenting about Terrorists who are eagerly waiting to go to heaven to have sex! (for a change )
Youngsters and grownups in Sri Lanka go on strike to protect their rights by protesting in the streets or work to rule” . In Georgia they have a novel way of fighting to protect their rights .
In the article further below Russians who are almost close neighbours and partners during Soviet Era with Georgians have a different agenda.
Some have started coaching people to enjoy sex etc not only to create babies .
Russian sex coach says that Intimacy is seen as form of escape from Dangerous Political Activity
May be the extremists need more intimacy than getting involved in terrorist activities in this life rather than dream about more intimacy after life?
Dr Sarath Obeysekera
ජෝර්ජියානු රජය විසින් ගබ්සාව තහනම් කිරීමට විරෝධය පාමින් එරට කාන්තාවන් අදාළ නීතිය ඉවත් කරන තුරු පිරිමින් සමග ලිංගිකව හැසිරීම වර්ජනය කරන ලෙසට ප්රකට නිළියක් වන ඇලීසා මිලානෝ ඉල්ලීමක් කර තිබේ.
තමන්ගේ ශරීරයේ අයිතිය ඇත්තේ තමන්ට බවත් ගබ්සාව තහනම් කිරීම නිසා ගැබ් ගැනීම අවදානමක් බවත් එම නිසා ගබ්සාව යළිත් නීතිගත කළ යුතු අතර ගබ්සා කිරීමේ හෝ නොකිරීමේ අයිතිය අදාළ කාන්තාවගේ කැමැත්ත මත පදනම් විය යුතු බවත් ඇය පවසන්නීය.
එම නිසා එම අයිතිය කාන්තාවන්ට යළි ලැබෙන තුරු පිරිමින් සමග ලිංගිකව නොහැසිරෙන ලෙස ඇය ජෝර්ජියානු කාන්තාවන්ගෙන් ඉල්ලා තිබේ.
රිෂාඞ් බදියුදින් අමාත්යවරයාට එරෙහිව විශ්වාසභංග යෝජනාවක් ඉදිරිපත් කිරීම සම්බන්ධයෙන් බැසිල් රාජපක්ෂ මහතා විරුද්ධත්වය පල කළ බවට ප්රචාරය වන අදහසෙහි කිසිදු සත්යතාවක් නොමැති බව ඉතා වගකීමෙන් ප්රකාශ කරමි. අද උදෑසන පැවැති ඒකාබද්ධ විපක්ෂයේ පක්ෂ නායක රැුස්වීමේ දී ඉහත කාරණාව සම්බන්ධයෙන් කරුණු සාකච්ඡුාවට ගෙන ඇති නමුත් එහි දී රිෂාඞ් බදියුදින් අමාත්යවරයාට එරෙහිව විශ්වාසභංග යෝජනාවක් ඉදිරිපත් කිරීම සම්බන්ධයෙන් බැසිල් රාජපක්ෂ මහතා වාචිකව හෝ ඉගියකින් හෝ කිසිදු ආකාරයක විරුද්ධත්වයක් ප්රකාශ කර නොමැත. එබැවින් බැසිල් රාජපක්ෂ මහතා විසින් විශ්වාසභංග යෝජනාවට විරුද්ධත්වය පල කළ බවට පැතිර යන අසත්ය ප්රකාශය ශ්රී ලංකා පොදුජන පෙරමුණ තරයේ ප්රතික්ෂේප කරන බව සිහිපත් කරමි.
සංජීව එදිරිමාන්න
ප්රකාශක
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Pivithuru Hela Urumaya (PHU) Leader and Parliamentarian Udaya Prabhath Gammanpila yesterday (13) said, both the PHU and National Freedom Front (NFF) would not support any politician that obtains support from Western Province Governor Azath Salley and Minister Rishad Bathiudeen to form a Government at future Elections.
He made this remark during a Media briefing.
Gammanpila said, After analyzing the information we have received, we found that two politicians have direct links with the spread of extremism in the country. They are Salley and Bathiudeen. We have enough evidence to prove that. But nothing has been done about them so far. Therefore, we decided that even if our most favourite politician gets the support from these two to form a Government at future Elections, we will never support him.”
Gammanpila added that they had provided several guidelines which would help to eradicate religious extremism in the country.
First, we should change the current electoral system. It is because of this system that politicians have to depend on parties which have extremist ideas. What we propose is allocating 15 bonus seats at a General Election to the party which gains the majority of votes islandwide.
In that way, stable Governments can be established. The second proposal is banning clothing like the Burqa immediately even after the Emergency Regulations. If someone wears a facemask in public places, that person should take a medical report with him/her at all times. Establishing a common marriage and divorce law is the third proposal.
One nation, one law: it is as simple as that. The fourth one is approving and monitoring syllabuses in Madrasa (Islamic colleges) schools. The intelligence forces should also monitor the teachings in these schools. The fifth one is private universities which teach religious ideologies, should in turn be directly monitored by the University Grants Commission (UGC).
The sixth proposal is that the Media should not be allowed to spread religious extremism. Let us look at Zakir Naik’s Peace Television. Both India and Bangladesh banned this TV channel over spreading extremism, but Sri Lanka waited to do that until the Easter Sunday carnage. That should not happen in the future. The seventh proposal is monitoring the non-Government organisations (NGOs) by the NGO Secretariat.
Also, the NGOs should publicise their accounts, so, the people would be able to see as to how they received their funds and how they spent them. All illegal immigrants must be deported immediately. That is our eighth proposal. We should identify from which countries these illegal immigrants arrive in Sri Lanka the most. Then we should cancel the on arrival visa facility for such countries.”
He added that We should officially inform the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees that we are not liable to take refugees into our country. Especially refugees like Rohingya. They come with a hatred of Buddhists in Myanmar. Such people can be easily manipulated against the Buddhists in Sri Lanka.
Currently, President’s Counsel Manohara de Silva and several other lawyers are preparing two draft legislations covering the above proposals. We hope to present them to Parliament as soon as possible. Then we can identify who genuinely loves the country and who does not.”
Chinese President Xi Jinping emphasized that the Chinese government and people stand firmly with the Sri Lankan people and resolutely support Sri Lanka in safeguarding its national security and stability.
President Xi made the remarks while meeting with his Sri Lankan counterpart Maithripala Sirisena on Tuesday in Beijing.
Both sides need to maintain the high-level dialogue regularly, promote cooperation in jointly building the Belt and Road, facilitate law-enforcement and security cooperation, and enhance cooperation against non-traditional security threats, Xi said.
The Chinese president said he believes Sri Lanka will show its rich culture through the platform of the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations which is scheduled to open on May 15 in Beijing.
Sirisena expressed appreciation of China’s forthright position on Sri Lanka’s counter-terrorism strategy and efforts.
He said the conference will promote mutual understanding and respect and shared prosperity among countries with an emphasis on civilizations.
Sri Lanka appreciates China’s valuable support and assistance over the years, Sirisena said, adding his willingness to build the Belt and Road with China and deepen China-Sri Lanka mutually beneficial cooperation.
Twenty-six parliamentarians have added their signatures to a no-confidence motion against Minister of Industry & Commerce, Resettlement of Protracted Displaced Persons, Co-operative Development and Vocational Training & Skills Development Rishad Bathiudeen.
However, a final decision on the motion will be taken by the Joint Opposition at their group meeting scheduled to be held tomorrow (15).
MP Athuraliye Rathana Thero stated that a no-confidence motion would be brought against Minister Bathiudeen and the Chief Prelates of the Malwathu-Asgiri chapters were informed with this regard yesterday (13).
Accordingly, 26 MPs have signed the relevant no-confidence motion and the first signee is MP Dullas Alahapperuma.
Rathana Thero has signed at the 7th on the motion while MP S. B. Dissanayake, who represents the group of 16 of the SLFP, had also signed the motion.
When Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) General Secretary was inquired of his stance on the motion, he stated that neither he nor the SLFP has been officially informed of the matter.
An island-wide police curfew will be enforced from 9.00 pm today, says Police Media Spokesperson SP Ruwan Gunasekara.
The curfew will be in effect until 4.00 am tomorrow (15).
Meanwhile, a 12-hour police curfew will commence within the North Western province from 6.00 pm today and it will last until 6.00 am tomorrow morning.
The police curfew will be imposed within the Gampaha Police Division starting from 7.00 pm. The curfew is set to be lifted at 6 am tomorrow.
One of the Easter Sunday suicide bombers, who attempted to bomb the luxury Taj Samudra hotel in Sri Lanka capital Colombo, was radicalised by British-Pakistani radical preacher Anjem Choudary while he was studying at a university in London, according to a media report.
Abdul Latheef Mohamed Jameel, 37, who was from a wealthy family involved in the tea trade, reportedly met the radical preacher while studying at Kingston University, the BBC reported.
Choudary, 52, is considered one of the UK’s most influential and dangerous radical preachers. He was convicted and jailed in 2016 for inviting support for ISIS but was released in 2018.
Counter-extremism experts early this year had warned that Choudary’s extremist group al-Muhajiroun network was regenerating itself.
Jameel, a father of four children, was the link between local radicals and ISIS or other Islamist groups based abroad, Sri Lankan security officers told the BBC.
Jameel was one of the nine bombers who carried out a series of blasts targeting three churches and three hotels in Colombo in which nearly 360 people were killed.
Jameel’s target on April 21 Easter bombings was the Taj Samudra hotel of Tata Group’s hospitality arm, Indian Hotels Company Ltd (IHCL). But his bomb probably failed and he was seen leaving the premises.
He later blew himself up at a motel in the suburb of Dehiwala, killing two guests.
Jameel studied in the UK and Australia before he tried to go to Syria.
Several years ago, his family became concerned about his hardline views and enlisted the help of a security official.
He (Jameel) was completely radicalised and supported the extremist ideology. I tried to reason with him. When I asked him how he got into this… he said that he attended the sermons of the radical British preacher Anjem Choudary in London. He said he met him during the sermons,” a security official told the BBC.
-Agencies
A Sri Lankan software engineer suspected by authorities of having provided technical and logistical support to the Easter Sunday suicide bombers was monitored by Indian intelligence agencies three years ago for links with Islamic State suspects, investigators said.
Four sources in Sri Lankan investigating agencies said they believed Aadhil Ameez, a 24-year-old, was the link between two groups that carried out the attacks on churches and hotels that killed more than 250 people and wounded hundreds more.
Aadhil has been arrested and is in police custody, the sources said. His arrest has not been made public, but when asked by Reuters, Ruwan Gunasekera, the main spokesman for the Sri Lankan police, confirmed Aadhil was taken into custody on April 25, four days after the attacks.
The spokesman declined to give more details.
A police official at India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) and another police official in the western state of Gujarat said they were providing assistance to Sri Lankan authorities.
Aadhil, who describes himself on his LinkedIn profile as a senior engineer/programmer/web designer with a masters degree in computer science and a bachelors in political science from U.K. universities, could not be reached for comment.
He does not yet have a lawyer and under Sri Lanka’s tough new emergency laws imposed after the attacks, he can be held indefinitely.
AFP / LAKRUWAN WANNIARACHCHISri Lanka has been under a state of emergency since the suicide bombings
Sri Lankan police fired warning shots and tear gas to disperse mobs attacking mosques and Muslim-owned businesses in several towns Monday, as the country suffered a violent new backlash from the Easter suicide bombings.
Police and troops fought off hundreds of Christian-led rioters in at least six towns in North-Western Province where a curfew was imposed, police said.
“Several shops have been attacked,” a senior police officer told AFP. “When mobs tried to attack mosques, we fired in the air and used tear gas to disperse them.”
The curfew started in the six towns but was extended across the province amid fears that violence could spread. There were no immediate reports of casualties or arrests.
“There is a strong political element to the riots today,” the police officer said. “There are people trying to make political capital out of this situation.”
Earlier, authorities banned Facebook, WhatsApp and other social media platforms after overnight riots gripped several towns in the region including Chilaw.
Christian groups attacked Muslim-owned shops in a sign of the heightened tensions since jihadist suicide bombers attacked three hotels and three churches on April 21 killing 258 people.
AFP / LAKRUWAN WANNIARACHCHIFacebook was blocked after Muslim shops were targetted in Sri Lanka
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe urged the public not to believe rumours and warned that civil unrest will stretch the already thinly deployed security forces.
“I appeal to all citizens to remain calm and not be swayed by false information,” Wickremesinghe said on Twitter, which was not targeted in the social media blockade.
“Security forces are working tirelessly to apprehend terrorists and ensure the security of the country, but each time there is civil unrest, we increase their burden and hamper ongoing investigations.”
A state of emergency has been in place since the bombings — which the Islamic State group claims to have helped — and security forces have been given sweeping powers to detain suspects.
– Mosque attack –
Police said a mob targeted Muslim-owned shops in Chilaw on Sunday in anger at a Facebook post by a shopkeeper.
“Don’t laugh more, 1 day u will cry,” he wrote, and local Christians took it to be a warning of an impending attack.
AFP / LAKRUWAN WANNIARACHCHISri Lanka has been on high alert since the Easter Sunday attacks
The mobs smashed the man’s shop and vandalised a nearby mosque prompting security forces to fire in the air to disperse the crowd on Sunday, but the violence spread to nearby towns where Muslim businesses were also attacked.
A curfew was imposed until dawn Monday and reimposed after a 10-hour break.
There have already been clashes between Christians and Muslims in Negombo, the town north of Colombo that was targeted by the suicide attackers.
The main body of Islamic clerics, the All Ceylon Jamiyyathul Ulama (ACJU), said there was increased suspicion of Muslims after the Easter Sunday attacks.
“We call upon the members of the Muslim communities to be more patient and guard your actions and avoid unnecessary postings or hosting on social media,” the ACJU said.
Internet service providers said they have been instructed by the telecommunications regulator to block access to Facebook, WhatsApp, YouTube and Instagram.
The latest unrest came as Catholic churches resumed public Sunday masses for the first time since the bombings.
Worshippers were searched before being allowed into churches that were guarded by armed police and troops. There were no reports of disruption to services, however.
-Schools reopen –
Dozens of people have been detained since the Easter Sunday attacks. Amid the heightened security, students are only allowed into schools after checks for explosives.
AFP / LAKRUWAN WANNIARACHCHIWorkshippers have started to return to churches in Sri Lanka
Public schools completed their reopening from extended Easter holidays after the attacks, but attendance was extremely low, according to education authorities.
Private Catholic schools were to open on Tuesday, but many plan to stay closed until next week, parent groups said.
Muslims make up around 10 percent of Buddhist-majority Sri Lanka’s 21 million population and Christians about 7.6 percent.
https://www.afp.com/en/news/3954/sri-lankan-towns-rocked-christian-muslim-riots-doc-1ge6ek2
වහාබ්වාදී අන්තවාදයට එරෙහිව ඍජුව සිටගෙන, රිෂාඞ් – සාලි – හිස්බුල්ලා වැනි මෙරට වහාබ්වාදී අන්තවාදයේ පියවරු තමන් ගොඩනගන පාලනයකට වද්දා නොගන්නා බව ඍජු ලෙස ජාතිය හමුවේ පවසන ලෙස විපක්ෂ දේශපාලන කඳවුරේ සෙසු නායකයන්ගෙන් ඉල්ලා සිටින බව ජානිපෙ නායක විමල් වීරවංශ මහතා පැවසීය.
පිටකෝට්ටේ පිහිටි පිවිතුරු හෙළ උරුමයේ ප්රධාන කාර්යාලයේ පැවැති ඒකාබද්ධ මාධ්ය හමුවේදී ඒ මහතා මෙසේ පැවසීය.
එහිදී වැඩිදුරටත් අදහස් දැක්වූ විමල් වීරවංශ මහතා මෙසේ ද පැවසීය.
‘අප හිතුවා මේ මොහොතේ අප පක්ෂ දෙකේ මතය ඒකාබද්ධව ඉදිරිපත් කිරීම වැදගත් කියා. අපේ අදහස පිළිගෙන කටයුතු කළ පිවිතුරු හෙළ උරුමයේ නායක උදය ගම්මන්පිල මහතාට පළමුව අපේ කෘතවේදීත්වය පළකර සිටිනවා. අද මේ රට තිබෙන්නේ ඉතාමත් තීරණාත්මක තැනක. ජීවිත 300ක් අහිමි වෙලා, මියගිය දරුවන් දෙස බලාගෙන අම්මාලා හඩනකොට, මියගිය පියවරු ලෙස බලාගෙන දරුවන් දුක් වන කොට ‘අපි ආරක්ෂිතයි’ කියා සතුටු විය හැකි නම් ඊට වඩා මිත්යාවක් තවත් නැහැ. රටේ ජනාධිපති කියනවා, ‘ත්රස්තයින් ඉන්නේ 150යි. එයිනුත් 80%ක් දැන් අල්ලලා ඉවරයි’ කියලා. රටේ හැමතැනම කඩු අහුවෙනවා. ඒවා පෙන්වීම වාරණය කරනවා. වහාබ්වාදී අන්තවාදයට යට වුණු මුස්ලිම් දේවස්ථානවලින් පවා කඩු හසුවෙනවා. මේ කඩු කවර මොහොතක හෝ අපේ ගෙල මතට පතිත විය හැකියි. සාමකාමීව ජීවත් වීමට කැමති සිංහල, දෙමළ, මුස්ලිම්, බෞද්ධ, කිතුණු, ඉස්ලාම් ජනතාවගේ ගෙල මතට කවර මොහොතක හෝ මේවා පතිත විය හැකියි. ඒ පතිත වන දිනය පමණයි අපට නොතේරෙන්නේ.
‘සාමයට ලැදි මිනිසුන් තකතීරුවන් ද?’
ඇතැම් මුස්ලිම් දේශපාලනඥයන් මේ රටේ ජන විඥානයට අපහාස කරනවා. ඔවුන් හිතනවා ‘මේ රටේ සාමයට ලැදි මිනිසුන් තකතීරුවන්’ කියා. ‘තණකොළ කපන්න, උක්්ගස් කපන්න මේ කඩු ගෙනාවා’ කියා පවසන්නේ ඒකයි. මෙවැනි දේ කරන්න එපාෟ කඩු ගැන කටමැත දොඩවන මේ මුස්ලිම් දේශපාලකයෝ කරන කතාවලින් සාමයට ලැදි ජනතාවට ඇති වන වේදනව, මරාගෙන මැරෙන ප්රහාරවලින් දැනුණු වේදනාවට වඩා වැඩියි.
මේ ආණ්ඩුව මේ රට අද බිංදුවට ඇද වට්ටලා ඉවරයි. සති තුනක් ගියත් මේ වහාබ් ත්රස්තවාදය මැඩලීමට තවමත් ඒකාබද්ධ අණ දෙන මූලස්ථානයක් නැහැ. දැන් බලන්න, මරාගෙන මැරෙන ත්රස්තවාදියකුට අයත්ව තිබූ තඹ කර්මාන්ත ශාලාවේ සේවය කළ ත්රස්ත ක්රියාවලට සම්බන්ධ බවට සැකපිට අත්අඩංගුවට ගත් පිරිස ඇප මත නිදහස් වුණා. ඔවුන් උසාවියට ඉදිරිපත් කර තිබුණේ ත්රස්තවාදය වැළැක්වීමේ පනත යටතේ නොවෙයි. එය තීරණය කර තිබුණේ දෙමටගොඩ පොලීසිය. පසුගියදා එක් ගරු කටයුතු පොලිස් ස්ථානාධිපතිවරයකු ත්රස්තවාදී කටයුතුවලට සම්බන්ධ තැනැත්තකු බේරාගැනීමට අල්ලස් දීමට තැත් කළ අයකු නීතියේ රැුහැනට අසුකර දුන්නා. නමුත් අපි දන්නේ නැහැ, මේ ආකාරයට සැකකරුවන් බේරා ගැනීමට ගන්නා උත්සාහයන්වලට පොලිස් නිලධාරීන් මේ ආකාරයටම ප්රතිචාර දක්වනවාද, කියා. හමුදාවෙන් හෝ කවර පොලීසියකින් හෝ ත්රස්ත කටයුතුවලට සම්බන්ධ සැකකරුවකු අත්අඩංගුවට ගත් පසු ඔහු සම්බන්ධයෙන් කටයුතු කළ යුතුව ඇත්තේ ඉහත කී ඒකාබද්ධ අණ දෙන මූලස්ථානයේ උපදෙස් මත, නිසි ආකාරයේ මාධ්යගත වීමක් සහිතවයි.
‘වින්දිතයා, ජනපතිට අමතක වෙලා’
දැන් බලන්න, ජනාධිපතිවරයා කියනවා, ‘අපි ඉක්මනින් මුස්ලිම් ජනතාවගේ සිත්තැවුල්වලට පිළියම් යොදන්නම්’ කියා. සිත්තැවුල් තිබෙන්නේ මුස්ලිම් ජනතාවට විතර ද? මේ මරාගෙන මැරෙන ත්රස්ත ප්රහාරයේ වින්දිතයා කවුද? සිංහල හා දෙමළ කිතුණු ජනතාවයි. ඔවුන්ගේ සිත්තැවුල්වලට පිළියම් යෙදීමට නොවෙයිද, ප්රමුඛතාව දිය යුත්තේ ? නවසීලන්තයේ ඉස්ලාම් දේවස්ථානයකදී සිදු වූ සමූල ඝාතනයෙන් පසු එරට අගමැතිනිය පර්දාව පැළඳගෙන ආවේ වින්දිතයන් වෙනුවෙන්. ඇය එතැනදී ඉස්ලාම් බැතිමතුන්ගේ වේදනාව බෙදාගැනීමට තමන් ද සූදානම් බවයි පෙන්වූයේ. නමුත් මේ රටේ නායකයෝ වින්දිතයාට සමච්චල් කරමින් චූදිතයාව සනසනවා. සහරාන්ගේ බිරිය විසූ මරාගෙන මැරෙන ප්රහාරයක් එල්ල කළ නිවස පවා බැලීමට ජනාධිපතිවරයා යාමෙන් ජනතාවට දැනුණේ එය නොවේ ද?
‘ජාතියේ ගෙල මතට එල්ල වන කඩු පහර’
අඩුම තරමින් තවමත් රිෂාඞ් බදුර්දීන්ගෙන් ප්රකාශයක්වත් අරගෙන තිබෙනවා ද? නමුත් වහාබ්වාදී අන්තවාදයේ පියවරුන් හැටියට සැලකෙන රිෂාඞ් බදුර්දීන්ගේ සහ මුජිබර් රහුමාන්ගේ ඉල්ලීම අනුව ‘කඩු පෙන්වන එක නතර කරනු’ කියන නියෝගය නම් ජනාධිපතිවරයාගෙන් ආවා. ඡුන්ද කුට්ටියක් දිහා බලාගෙන ජාතියේ ගෙල මතට පතිත වන කඩු පහර වළක්්වන්න බැහැ. ඡුන්ද කුට්ටියක් දෙස බලාගෙන කරන මේ ප්රෝඩාවෙන් සිදු වන්නේ ජාතියේ ගෙල මතට කඩු පහර එල්ල වන එක ළං වෙන එකයි. මැල්කම් කාදිනල් රංජිත් අගරදගුරුතුමන් පිළිගන්නවා,‘මේක සිංහල බෞද්ධ රටක්. අප ජීවත්විය යුත්තේ ඒහා බැඳුණු මහා සංස්කෘතිය අනුවයි’ කියා. නමුත් මේ ආණ්ඩුවේ මුදල් ඇමති කියනවා, ‘මේක සිංහල බෞද්ධ රටක් නොවෙයි,’’කියා. මේ වගේ ඇමතිවරු සිටින ආණ්ඩුවකට මේ වහාබ්වාදී ත්රස්තවාදය මැඩලීමට තියා එය කරන්නේ කෙසේද, කියා හිතා ගන්නවත් බැහැ.
‘සෙල්ලම් නතර කරනු…
රනිල් වික්රමසිංහ මහත්තයා කියනවා, ‘විදේශීය යුද විශේෂඥයන්ගේ සහයෝගය ලබාගෙන අපි මේ ප්රශ්නය විසඳනවා’ කියලා. ඔහුට උවමනා මේ ගැටුම තවදුරටත් අවුලූවා විදේශීය යුද විශේෂඥයන් මේ රට තුළට ගෙන්වා ගන්න. හලාවත සිදුවීම පිටුපස එක්සත් ජාතික පක්ෂයේ ශාන්ත නැමති මන්ත්රීවරයකු සිටිනවා. කුලියාපිටිය සිදුවීම පිටුපස අකිල විරාජ් කාරියවසම් නැද්ද කියා සොයා බලන්න. මේ අයට උවමනා ජාතියේ ගෙල මතට කඩු පහර වදින දිනය ළං කරලා, මේ රට තුළට හැකි ඉක්මනින් ඇමෙරිකන් හමුදාවලට බින්න බහින්න ඉඩ හදලා දෙන්න. ‘කරුණාකර මේ සෙල්ලම නතර කරන්න කියා’ අපි ශ්රී ලාංකික ජාතියේ නාමයෙන් ඉල්ලා සිටිනවා.
‘වහාබ්වාදී අන්තවාදය වතුකරයටත්…
දැන් බලන්න, වතුකරයේ දෙමළ හින්දු දරුවන් හා මුස්ලිම් දරුවන් ඉගෙනුම ලබන දෙමළ මාධ්ය පාසල් 04ක දරුවන් වහාබ් අන්තවාදයට යොමු කර ඇති අන්දම. මේ බව ලංකා කම්කරු කොංග්රසයේ සෙන්දීල් මන්ත්රීවරයා අනාවරණය කර තිබෙනවා. දෙමළ දරුවන් අරාබි භාෂාවෙන් කතා කරන කොට, අයි.එස්.අයි.එස්. විඩියෝ හුවමාරු කර ගන්නා විට මේ පිළිබඳව තමන් සොයා බැලූ බවයි ඔහු කියන්නේ. ඒ අනුව ඉහත කී දෙමළ මාධ්ය පාසල් 04හි විදුහල්පතිවරුන් සිව්දෙනාට සන්තෝෂම් දී ඒ පාසල්වල ඉරිදා, සෙනසුරාදා දිනවල අරාබි භාෂාව හා කුරානය උගන්වනවා කියා මේ සිසු දරුවන් වහාබ් අන්තවාදයට නතු කිරීමයි කර තිබුණේ. පැරණි මුස්ලිම් පල්ලිවල තිබූ ඉස්ලාම් ධර්මය උගන්වන දහම් පාසල් (මද්රසා පාසල්* අන්තවාදියකු බිහි නොකරන බව අපි පිළිගන්නවා. නමුත් වහාබ්වාදයට තතු වූ මුස්ලිම් පල්ලිවල තිබෙන මද්රසා පාසල්, අරාබි පාසල් වහාබ් ත්රස්තවාදයට මග කියන ඒවා. වහාබ් ත්රස්තවාදයට උඩගෙඩි දෙන, ශරියා විශ්වවිද්යාලය, මද්රසා පාසල්, ආරාබි පාසල් තහනම් කළ යුතුයි. වහාබ්වාදී ත්රස්තවාදයට එරෙහි මෙහෙයුම් ඒකාබද්ධ මෙහෙයුම් මූලස්ථානයක සිට සිදු කළ යුතුයි. සියලූ සෙල්ලම් නවතා සැබෑ ලෙස මේ වහාබ්වාදී ත්රස්තවාදය පරදවන තැනට රටම ගෙන ආ යුතුයි. එහෙම නොකළහොත් මුළුමහත් ජාතියම මේ ආණ්ඩුවේ ප්රෝඩාවට එරෙහිව පාරට බැසිය යුතුයි.
ඒ වගේම අපි නියෝජනය කරන විපක්ෂයේ කඳවුරටත් කිව යුතු දෙයක් තිබෙනවා. ‘රිෂාඞ් බදුර්දීන් ඇතුළු වහාබ්වාදී අන්තවාදීන්ගේ ඡුන්ද කුට්ටියට කෙළ පෙරන්න එපා. ඒ වහාබ්වාදී අන්තවාදීන්් තමන්ගේ පාලනයකට වද්දාගන්නේ නැහැ, කියන ඍජු තීරණය ගන්න’ කියා අපි අපේ කඳවුරෙනුත් ඉල්ලා සිටිනවා. එහෙම ඍජු තීරණයක් නොගන්නවානම් එහෙම විපක්ෂයක ඉන්න අපි ලෑස්ති නැහැ. ඒ නිසා අපේ කඳවුරේ නායකයනට අපි යළිත් කියනවා, ‘මේ වහාබ්වාදී අන්තවාදයට එරෙහිව ඍජුව හිටගන්න’ කියා. ‘වහාබ්වාදී අන්තවාදයේ පියවරුන් වන රිෂාඞ් බදුර්දීන්ලා, අසාත් සාලිලා හෝ හිස්බුල්ලලා අපි ගොඩනගන පාලනයකට ඍජුව වද්දා ගන්නේ නැහැ’ කියන ඍජු මතය අපි විපක්ෂයක් ලෙස ජාතිය හමුවේ තැබිය යුතුයි. එහෙම නැතිව ජනතාව සමග හැංගිමුත්තන් සෙල්ලම් කරන්න ආණ්ඩුවට මෙන්ම විපක්ෂයටත් සදාචාරාත්මක අයිතියක් නැහැ. අපේ අනාගත පරපුරේ ගෙල මතට කඩු පහර වදින එක නතර කරන්න ඕනේ. ඒකට හොරගල් අහුලමින් ඉඳලා හරි යන්නේ නැහැ. දේශපාලන තක්කඩිකම් කරමින් ඉඳලා බැහැ. ඒ නිසා අපි ‘මේ මහා පොළොව ඉල්ලා සිටින නායකත්වය ලබා දෙන්න. එහෙම නැතිව මේ ප්රශ්නය සම`ග සෙල්ලම් කරන්න ලෑස්ති වෙන්න එපා’ කියන අනතුරු හැ`ගවීම ආණ්ඩුවට මෙන්ම විපක්ෂයටත් කරනවා.’’
මෙම මාධ්ය හමුවට පිවිතුරු හෙළ උරුමයේ නායක උදය ගම්මන්පිල මහතා ද එක්ව සිටියේය.
අනුරුද්ධ බණ්ඩාර රණවාරණ
මාධ්ය ලේකම්
ජාතික නිදහස් පෙරමුණ
13 May 2019
On 21 April 2019 Easter Sunday – on the holiest day in the Christian Calendar, suicide bombers simultaneously attacked three Catholic Churches and three 5 – Star Hotels in Sri Lanka killing over 250 including nearly 40 foreigners visiting the island. The reason for attacking the Catholics and White Foreigners can be adduced to ISIS losing territory in the Middle-east to Christchurch massacre of Muslims by a white nationalist in New Zealand. This is all beside the point for now the population of Muslims in Sri Lanka is nearing 10% – they are now transitioning from ‘peaceful to more belligerent and later to more militaristic. Their readiness for much more sinister ‘happenings’ is clearly seeing from what is being unearthed during the recent investigations by the security forces. If they did not attack the Christians certainly they were ready to carryout a much more large scale and much more wide spread attack on the Sinhala Buddhists is now clear as daylight.
However, from happenings around the world there is no denying that militant Islam is on the march towards word domination. This, they mean to achieve by population growth – also called the Womb Bomb, and through the spread of Wahabbi militaristic intimidation, occupation of land and conversion to Islam and Sharia. The Eelamists wanted only a part of the island, the Islamists want the whole! One needs to see the spread of Muslims throughout the Island from villages to towns to cities to understand this phenomenon! Slowly and very strategically they now occupy most of the economic heartland of Sri Lanka and exclusively Muslim enclaves spread around the island!
In the Fifteen Hundreds, the Catholic Portuguese started killing the Muslims – their enemies in trade in the low lands of Sri Lanka controlled by them. These Muslims mainly males sought refuge among the Sinhalese in the Up Country where they were given land and even women and re-settled. Some of them were settled in the now Eastern Province. Of the present population majority cannot be of great and distant antiquity as even up to 50 years ago they could not speak Sinhala properly. If they have lived in the island for over a 1000 years ago, they should have been speaking Sinhala fluently. This Goebbelesian lie is now being repeated ad-nauseam by Muslims and later even by politicians of all hues who go salivating after the Muslim vote!
In early 2017 I tried to show the spread of Muslims in Sri Lanka. Historically a tiny trading minority the Muslims, now has taken a wow to make Sri Lanka a Muslim country in the near future, the same as they did in the Maldives. This is no longer mere rhetoric as they have done the same against much more powerful countries elsewhere in the world. They are today threatening the UK and many countries in the EU including France, Germany and Nordic Countries to make them majority Muslim / Islamic countries by the middle of this century.
Historically this has already happened for countries in South Asia from Afghanistan, Pakistan to Bangladesh and South-East Asia from Malaysia to Indonesia. They are now threatening Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, the Philippines and even Australia. It is time to take serious note of the Islamic juggernaut and take practical measures to stop it in its track!
What is to be feared is the present calamity metamorphosing into urban guerrilla warfare a war tactic much more sinister and much more difficult to contain than that of the LTTE and a thousand fold more bloodier. This will take Sri Lanka towards another Iraq, Libya, Syria and now Yemen.
In the melee, the intervention by the International Community led by US with R2P to fulfil their agenda of containing China is the bigger picture of it all!
Sri Lankans has much to lose if they do not act wisely, prudently and decisively!
I append below what I wrote in 2017 slightly amended.
Posted on March 5th, 2017
Ratanapala
5 Mar 2017
In the aftermath of the 1976 Non Aligned Nations Conference in Colombo, one of the ‘distinguished’ attendees Col Gadhafi, gave a radio interview to the local Muslims. (See Radio Ceylon Transcripts of 1976) On this occasion he inquired from them about their demographics in Sri Lanka and gave them the following advice and guide lines:
It is in this background and context we have to understand how far the Muslims have come since 1976.
Population has increased from around 5% to now near 10%! They have been on a rush to multiply with polygamy, indiscriminate and runaway breeding. This increase is facilitated by funding for such practices from the Middle East. Increase in numbers has also brought about a new militancy in challenging the indigenous Buddhist Culture, Buddhism and the Sinhalese.
As for the purchase of land they have over achieved what Col Gadhafi wanted them to realize. One only has to go along the major road arteries that emanate from Colombo or other major cities to understand this creepy crawly encroachment – on either side of these roads to find out who owns these trading establishments. Over and above these one has to look at what is happening to the suburbs of Colombo – all prime land is being bought over by Muslims to make a clean sweep of Colombo and her environs. Then it goes to other areas down the southern coast line – Wadduwa, Kaluthara Beruwala Aluthgama. Even 30 years ago in some areas it was only the village temple that was left after Muslim encroachment. Today I believe after the demise of the temple priest the temple land too is in their hands.
Mosques are mushrooming all over the island, apparently there is a mosque for every 40 Muslim families in the island. In total, they now outnumber all the Buddhist Temples and Hindu Kovils.
In Colombo the most tax money invested city in the island, Sinhalese are losing ownership to Muslims who did not even have a right to own land in Sri Lanka prior to 1815! A city and all its modern infrastructure that is built with tax payer funds are passing slowly into the hands of an exclusive and predatory community – the Muslims. One needs only venture out into the city public spaces to see who really ‘enjoys’ the high standard of living that Colombo has over the rest of the country! They are there in the hotels, restaurants, other eateries, high end shops, other places of entertainment and in the parks, because they are the only ones who can now afford such luxuries being a parasitic community that preys on the host through trade monopolization. These are the scenes that face those who are leaving the city in the evenings in packed buses breathing diesel fumes after a hard day’s work quite apathetic to what is happening to them and their heritage.
Now that Muslims have cornered the inner-city, gradually they are moving onto city outskirts in a deliberate and methodical way displacing Sinhalese street by street by street! They follow the law of the land where it is convenient and find all the loop holes to creep through to buy land quite legally – that is under the current laws which are quite unfavourable to the Sinhalese. They also use their political clout being an influential minority and capable of being the kingmaker in Sri Lankan politics.
Currently areas around Dehiwala, Galkissa – Mt Lavinia, Kalubowila are under intense attack; other areas around Colombo too are similarly attacked the difference is only in the degree. Large contingents of Maldivian Muslims seem to prefer this area. People have reported seeing foreigners in Islamic attire being ‘very busy’ at all time of the day in these areas – purchase of land and building of mosques are going a pace.
Can this sort of uncontrolled change of demographics lead to Reconciliation? There must be a mix of ethnicities and communities if Sri Lanka is to have real reconciliation and long term peace. Construction of exclusive enclaves by displacing the native is the agenda. What this leaves the Sinhalese is only taking up arms to reclaim their homeland and heritage. A friend of mine who recently returned from Sri Lanka having visited his wife’s house in Waidya Road, Mt Lavinia mentioned to me that this street is unrecognizable from what it was 20 years before and now almost entirely Muslim! Another friend of mine who is living abroad and has his parental house in Dickmans Road, is having a court case with a Muslim man in the adjoining land, who claims a half of his parapet wall as belonging to him. This is a classic case of a Bedum Naduwa where the weaker party gets overwhelmed, as owners of this – property living abroad cannot participate in lengthy court proceedings. Eventually frustrated owners will sell the land to the Muslim who will go on to ‘offer’ a ‘good’ price for the land and property.
One by one the pieces of the checker board turn Islamic Green! In Colombo and its environs, as it is in a multiplicity of other major cities towns and suburbs, Sinhalese are replaced at an ever-increasing pace as more and more land – real estate is passing hands from Sinhalese to Muslim for rupees which only has a transient value. This is going a pace in a street my street manner and as we speak and no politician of ‘worth of his traitorous self’ will ever touch this subject for the fear of losing Muslim votes. The root cause for all this is the division of Sinhalese between two traitorous political parties the UNP and the SLFP. Unless Sinhalese understand the calamity that is waiting to happen and unite there will not be any place left on our motherland for them. It is time Sinhalese whether they are Buddhist, Christian or other who share a common history and culture unite to save their motherland end up from being another Sharialand!
The problem is where does all this leave the Sinhalese. Even the Maldivian Muslims and others who mysteriously appear in Sri Lanka in the garb of refugees, whose legal status is if at all dubious, mainly go for land in Colombo and suburbs the most developed part of the island pushing the Sinhalese out. The secret is that Colombo and other major cities are money making centres which allow these foreigners to ‘get rich’ quickly because they are backed by rich and powerful minority conglomerates. The recent Central Bank Bond Scam is a clear case in point, where an entity such as Perpetual Treasuries with just the right ‘connections to powerful personnel’ in high places, managed by a few and operated from a small office in Colombo made huge ‘profits’ that surpassed the profits of all other enterprises who hire tens of thousands of employees, operating from hundreds of offices manoeuvring large scale logistical operations!
In Kandy, Muslims have ‘ring circled’ the Temple of the Tooth – Dalada Maligawa with clever purchasing of land from unpatriotic Buddhist Priests and other landowners. A mosque built on land leased out by the Temple is now getting ready to rival the very pinnacle of Buddhist faith in Sri Lanka! Can this or anything close to this ever happen in a Muslim country? Can somebody carry even a postcard depicting Lord Buddha to Saudi Arabia let alone Maldives?
Ring circling of Buddhist places of worship is now happening all over Sri Lanka; Anuradhapura, Dambulla, Kekirawa, Matale, Polonnaruwa, Mawanella and even cave complexes such as Kuragala – to name only a few. At Kuragala they are extending the territory by burying their dead in the adjoining government lands – another ploy they use to capture land!
Surely time has come for the Sinhala Buddhists in Sri Lanka to be more assertive and protect what is their own if it is only for the sake of their sons and daughters let alone their long and much revered 2600-year-old heritage! It is apparent that mere protesting and petitioning the powers that be, has done little to address the Sinhala grievances.
Creations of little ‘Bantustans’ are happening all over Sri Lanka mainly with small Muslim communities to begin with, which later expand by uncontrolled breeding, the purchase of adjoining land and the building of mosques. Movement of Muslim enterprises to purchase prime land in economic zones is going a pace. Many a little shop in Colombo as well as in other major cities and towns with Sinhala sounding name boards in front are in fact owned and operated by Muslim enterprises. No wonder Muslims are not interested in getting parts of the country to themselves, when their aim is to conquer and acquire the whole island for themselves and Islam!
Already in the East, Buddhist places of worship are being desecrated and Buddhist land occupied while a hapless government is looking askance. All this is happening in a majority Buddhist country where the minorities are making inroads to erase our history and our relationship to our past in the North and East. Sinhalese are like ‘lambs to slaughter’ waiting and hoping while losing ground while sands of time are passing by pushing them inch by inch towards oblivion. This is the generation that is going to willingly give up what is theirs without a whimper. Can this happen in any other self-respecting country other than Sri Lanka?
In the West Wilpattu wild life sanctuary is already being bulldozed making land for Muslims settlements. How many of these are illegal immigrants, the government has no clue. Elsewhere in the country, they are buying up land in all economic centers as well as cornering all businesses under their control. Today they control most of wholesale economy and what the Sinhala trader does is just the drip of what they can get out of retail trade – outcome of which is very much determined at a higher level by the wholesaler.
All political parties are in there to grab power at whatever cost to the nation. So far in our recent politics we see how Muslim politicians position themselves to be part of any government in power and always end up by being rewarded by ‘plum, influential and moneymaking’ ministries. In all these and all the while it is the Sinhalese who are losing ground in their age-old homestead – Sinhale now Sri Lanka!
In other parts of the world where they have become a reasonable size community they have not failed to bring about Muslim law of Sharia and inconvenience members of those not belonging to their community. This has happened in Europe – the UK, France, Germany, Belgium, Austria to name just a few countries who are waking up to this reality of Muslim invasion. Imagine if they were able to challenge the British in Birmingham – the very heart of English land and try to impose Sharia, what they will do to Sri Lanka.
Singapore a small enclave squeezed between two giant Muslim nations – Malaysia and Indonesia – the then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew saw to it to balance the ethnic mix in order to keep the peace as well as do justice by all communities. Not even a mere housing complex escaped his dictates and Singapore maintains its diversity without any community falling prey to another. In Sri Lanka, the Sinhalese has been losing ground ever since they lost their independence in 1815 and in a much more insidious manner since gaining Independence from the British in 1948 by being caught is a big lie called Democracy and Human Rights. Sri Lanka has been left with a bunch of uneducated and corrupt politicians stealing the nation’s wealth.
There is a bright star in the horizon with the ascendency of Donald Trump to the Presidency of the US. He is a realist who has ‘seen through’ the illusion of Democracy and Human Rights and understands better the nationalistic realities from Europe, Russia to Asia. These countries have realized they are about to loose their land and culture to predatory Islamist and their creed Jihadist Islam and from now onwards have a sympathetic ear in Washington. He understands the mechanics of Islamic Terrorism and what their international goals are. It is time patriots in Sri Lanka sought his ear and understanding for all the inequities Sri Lanka has been receiving at the hands of the Hillary / Obama led US Administration, UN and other liberal ‘democracies’ in Europe.
Sinhalese must have in-built safeguards to protect their land. The Tamils have Thesavalamai in the North and Muslims have the Mukkuwa Law in the East where they are numerically dominant in historically recent enclaves to protect their interests. Sinhalese have nothing comparable to safeguard the land they fought to keep as on entity for over two millennia and very recently from Racist Tamils who were fighting for a third of the land and 2/3 of the seaboard. All what Sinhalese are doing are fighting prairie fires here and there and not addressing bigger problem
This discussion must commence in earnest if Sinhalese are to survive in their motherland! What if all of a sudden, the oil rich middle eastern countries decide to invest a Billion Dollars to change the demography of Colombo and decide to buy off Colombo and other centres of commerce? Do we have an answer? Here I am trying highlight by fast forwarding what is already happening around the country albeit at a slower but accelerating pace. The growth of the Sharia University in the East, a Rs 3.6 Billion investment by Middle Eastern Powers is a clear case in point.
What is the ultimate intent? It is total domination. It is not asking for a part of the country like the racist Tamils. When the population reaches 10%, conversion to Islam will increase exponentially. Already they are marrying off poor Sinhala girls with the intent of making a bastardized nation of Muslim Sinhalese. This is how countries like Indonesia and Malaysia got converted to Islam. It is a fight to the finish with nothing held back – intimidation, persuasion, through marriage, through terrorism – you name it, it is happening under our very noses!
It is in the Koran – how to deceive the infidel and to conquer! This is called Taqiyya – See below what Taqiyya is.
Sinhalese need a clear policy with respect to land and laws. Sri Lanka will never achieve peaceful co-existence unless there is equitable distribution of the majority Sinhalese in all areas of the island. It is paramount to prevent exclusive enclaves – which finally end up as breeding grounds to extremists and extremism. Sri Lanka must be a single land under a single set of laws that is applicable to all – Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim!
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