Courtesy Adaderana

Two suspects were arrested along with 36 sets of white female clothes stuffed in a fertilizer sack and hidden inside a van.

It was reported that the van in question had set off to Anuradhapura from Thihariya.

The arrestees were two Muslims, aged 41 and 47 years, according to the reports.

Police investigations are being conducted to uncover if these sets of clothes bear similarities of any kind to the white female clothes recovered from Sainthamaruthu area.

Anuradhapura Police is probing the incident further.

Meanwhile, in a separate search operation, 14 walkie-talkies were and 8 CDs were recovered from a beauty parlour, while two suspects were also arrested in the raid.

The seizure was made by the Police Special Task Force last night (01).

The said beauty parlour is located on Borupana Road, Ratmalana.

 Author: Peter Koenig Courtesy  NEO  New Eastern Outlook

Sri Lanka, Easter Sunday, 21 April 2019: More than half a dozen bomb blasts shook the country killing from 250 to more than 350 people. Depending on who counts, the death toll varies. The devastation took place in in several catholic churches and luxury hotels. Other explosions, including from – what they say – are suicide bombers, have since killed another several dozens of people. Many are children, women – christen worshippers. Why the luxury hotels? Western (Christian) tourists?

Today, another explosion ripped through a suspicious building, killing 18, including children and women. Again, they, the ‘authorities’, say suicide bombers, who didn’t want their ‘cache’ to be discovered. Conveniently they are all dead – the suicide bombers”. Nobody can ask them any questions.

There was a lot of confusion, and still is, all through Sri Lanka. Nobody claimed credit for the massacres. There were rumors that Sri Lanka’s President received warnings ahead of the attacks from foreign intelligence, but ignored them. The President denies these allegations. And the explosions continue.

Finally, the verdict is in. The culprits are an Islamic terrorist group, associated with ISIS. What else is new.

Sri Lanka’s population is composed of about 70% Buddhists, 13% Hindus, almost 10% Muslims, mainly Sunni, the Salafi version, and about 7% Christians. The New York times reports that the accused mastermind of the terror attacks was strongly influenced by Wahhabism, the same extreme hardliners that control most of Saudi Arabia.

Hatred between religions seems on the rise. In New Zealand a few weeks ago a white supremacist assaulted a mosque, killing 50. This past weekend, a shooting in a Synagogue near San Diego, California killed a woman. The murderer said he was inspired by the New Zealand massacre. Are these spontaneous, interreligious mini-wars part of a foreign directed ‘divide to conquer’ effort, a strategy that has been used by empires for centuries, but seems to be alive and well with the current Washington based empire?

MintPress News reports that Sri Lanka Easter attacks are the handiwork of terrorists returning from fighting in Syria, practicing the Saudi-backed Wahhabi Salafist ideology,” adding, though not confirmed yet, they, [the attacks], are in keeping with the modus operandi of Saudi-sponsored Wahhabi terrorism worldwide. [The] Saudi sponsorship of Salafi Wahhabi dogma [is found] across the globe. From Boko Haram to ISIS, and from the Taliban to Al Qaeda, a common ideological thread runs through these terror groups. This is the Saudi-sponsored Wahhabi Salafi ideology whose South Asian counterpart is Deobandi.  For abbreviation purposes, it is becoming increasingly common to term this interconnected ideology as WSD (Wahhabi Salafi Deobandi).”

May we expect a wave of Saudi-sponsored WSD terrorism in the east too? – Is the horror Saudi government protected by the US, because it does its bidding? And this bidding leads to making gradually Islam extremism the justification for NATO bases around the globe? – Perhaps in Sri Lanka, tomorrow? So far Sri Lanka is clean from NATO. Sri Lanka has not even an association agreement with NATO.

Just look at the world-geostrategic location of Sri Lanka, linking the Arabian Sea with the Indian Ocean. Sri Lanka may also have a direct, open-sea connection with the small British island of Diego Garcia, in the Chagos Archipelago, north-east of Madagascar. Diego Garcia hosts the US’s largest Navy base outside the American Continent. Many of the drone killings in Yemen, Syria and other places in the Middle East originate from Diego Garcia. The civil war” in Syria was (and still is) largely directed from Diego Garcia, as well as from Djibouti.

Wouldn’t it be logical for NATO to set up base in Sri Lanka to control South East Asia? Saudi guided WSD attacks would create the necessary chaos justifying all the AngloZionist secret services – plus NATO – to descend on Colombo, to create further protests and anarchy – a never-ending internal strife, giving the war industry a new never-ending flow of profit, hence, further justifying the never-ending war on terror – and, thereby, moving yet an inch closer to Full Spectrum Dominance over Mother Earth and her hapless spectators, what western humanity has become – a bunch of complacent consumers, drenched in turbo-capitalist market ideology, too comfortable to go on the barricades.

The key and engine to all of this is NATO, whose modus operandi is killing for a living, for dominance and for profit. If there is ever to be Peace – and that’s what the vast majority of the inhabitants of this globe wants – I’m not exaggerating pretending that 99.99% of world population wants to live in peace – then NATO must go, NATO must be dismantled.

So, Europe which has the largest membership in NATO (27 out of 29 nations) has to put the money where her mouth is: Europe calls for Peace, Europe claims to be Peace-loving – really? Then put your money into creating Peace – pulling out of NATO, refusing at once to fund this killing machine under the pretext of protecting Europe”. Protecting Europe from what? From whom? – Not from Russia – despite all the highly propagandized and highly corporate-funded Russiagate / Russia phobia, exacerbated by a new artificially implanted fear – China. These countries have no history of expansion, like the west.

They only seek friendly relations of trade, of transport, cultural and research interconnectivity within the supercontinent, Eurasia, and ultimately, they promote a multi-polar world. The best example is the Chinese President Xi’s ingenuity – the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) that just finished its highly successful forum in Beijing – where more than 120 nations signed memoranda of understanding (MOU) and cooperation agreements with China for tens of billions of dollars equivalent. – What a way of cooperating, instead of sowing western-style belligerence.

Europe and the rest of the world is not in danger, except in danger of itself for being a vassal of the US and for hosting 30-plus NATO bases which would be first in the line of fire, if the east is forced to defend itself from that permanent Pentagon-NATO driven aggression.

Europe withhold your funding for NATO, get out of NATO, dismantle NATO, – NOW, before NATO sets up yet another base in Asia, before NATO spreads more death around the globe.

Peter Koenig is an economist and geopolitical analyst. After working for over 30 years with the World Bank he penned Implosion, an economic thriller, based on his first-hand experience. Exclusively for the online magazine New Eastern Outlook.”
https://journal-neo.org/2019/04/30/sri-lanka-candidate-for-a-new-nato-base/

Sarath Bulathsinghala

Those who forget the past are condemned to relive it” – Santayana

Sri Lankan nation is horror struck and deeply saddened by the Easter Sunday carnage. Hundreds of innocent people mostly Christians and others foreigners, were murdered in the most gruesome of ways – by bombings. In the other modes of killings there is even a body to take home and mourn over. Some bodies had to be identified by only a little ring finger, others by a tattoo!  These horrendous crimes took place at churches and hotels around Sri Lanka.

Sad to say this nation was already condemned by the gods for what was waiting to happen. A nation full of ungrateful citizens richly deserved the outcome for they so quickly forgot the past. They allowed the deterioration of sanity to its lowest with hardly a look backwards. This time they allowed the seeds of Islamic Terrorism to take root and giving precedence to Middle East and Tamil Diaspora money and their own self-interest. They sowed the wind and reaped the whirlwind!  Meanwhile events around the Islamic World were rapidly changing.

If by chance these atrocities happened against the majority Sinhala Buddhist Community, the world would now be having a different narrative, it would have been no big deal! However, this was not going to stop BBC and Al Jazeera trying hard to fish in troubled waters and find a Sinhala Buddhist connection to the Easter Sunday atrocities albeit with little success.  Now that it has happened against the Christian Community the tallest building in Dubai gets painted with the Sri Lankan flag, and similar sentiments expressed from around the world. For the moment, there is a semblance of heartfelt sympathy and solidarity with those who suffered and for the nation of Sri Lanka. Fortunately, Sri Lanka has a window of opportunity to do and correct many a thing in their security lapses with international understanding, but that only time will tell!

In 2015,  exactly 200 years after a similar cataclysmic event in the history of Sri Lanka – where a similarly vilified ruler of Sri Lanka was replaced by the British –  people of Sri Lanka went for a CHANGE and they got a change that was well funded by the so called International Community led by the US, who alone spent US$ 550 Million for regime changes in Nigeria, Myanmar and Sri Lanka. As can be seen from around the world their agenda has little to do with the welfare of smaller nations. Iraq, Libya, Syria, Serbia n now Yemen n Venezuela are prime examples who were and are at the end of this International Community benevolence! 

Today, Sri Lanka is in a conundrum unable to get rid of the President, the Prime Minister and their jocular and grossly unsuccessful administration.  They have together demonstrated beyond any doubt their inability to lead, their dereliction of duty and their criminal negligence in the administration of  Sri Lanka!

These are the wages of an ungrateful nation who forgot the past and now have to relive it. Within the span of ten years the Sri Lankan nation forgot how it was before the end of the Terrorist War in May 2009. This terrorist war spanned over 30 years, caused by over 70 years of unrelenting minority bickering for an mono-ethnic fiefdom with no relevance in history or real ethnic demography. It was a time of bombs going on all over the island willy nilly at the whims of a multitude of Tamil terror groups. These terror groups made carnage all over Sri Lanka while fighting each other for dominance and finally coalesced into one powerful terrorist organization the LTTE led by the terrorist warlord – Prabhakaran. The LTTE carnage was targeted at politicians, ordinary people, places of religious worship – mainly Buddhist and sometimes Muslim.

Ordinary people who were going about their ordinary day to day business of getting to work in trains and busses were targeted. Ordinary people at their day to day shopping were targeted. Ordinary people taking their children to school were targeted. Ordinary people at their places of worship were targeted and brutally murdered. All this found a simple explanation that Sinhalese Buddhists are discriminating against the Hindu Tamils and hence Tamil Freedom Fighters are fighting for their freedoms and for a land of their own. That was good enough for the so called International Community and India to fund, resource and train the LTTE Terrorists against Sri Lanka.

Most parents using public modes of transport did not go to work in one vehicle. Father and Mother chose with heavy hearts not to travel together, in case a bomb went off and one died at least one parent will be there to look after the children. Mothers congregated in front of schools and school closing times to take their children home in safety. Do I need to elaborate on the actual bombings – these are well documented and public knowledge. Do I need to elaborate the types of insecurity and hardship that went through the minds of ordinary people due to terrorism over a period of well over 30 years?

Politicians of all hues including those who fathered the terrorists were brutally murdered. National leaders such as the former Prime Minister of India Rajiv Ghandi and President Premadasa, Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadiragamar  were assassinated and among the rest a myriad of  politicians such as Gamini Dissanayake, Lalith Athulathmudali and Ranjan Wijeratne were bombed to oblivion.

Security Forces sacrificed over 30,000 dead and a similar number with lifelong injuries. Over a hundred thousand civilians too died at their little villagers, farming fields and in the crowded cities around the island. All this was forgotten fast with no remorse or even a semblance of gratitude to those who made peace possible in Sri Lanka. Leave aside the politicians, the war heroes able and the disabled and their still suffering families were quickly forgotten and what’s more vilified. The cream of the Sri Lanka’s Intelligence Community is behind bars on trumped up charges. The Foreign Minister went to Geneva without even a Cabinet Approval to make a major change in national policy and to accept a proposal put forward by those who are intent on prosecuting Sri Lanka for winning the war on LTTE Terrorism. This proposal included weakening the Tri Forces, weakening the Intelligence Apparatus, levelling trumped up charges against security forces and bringing them before dubiously powered courts of Law and a myriad of other measures to bring in ‘reconciliation, human rights and democracy’ to Sri Lanka!

Following the end of hostilities and the subsequent destruction of the LTTE as a fighting force within Sri Lanka for ten years almost to a month there was peace in the island. People were free to enjoy the fruits of freedom that was there for all to enjoy including those who took up arms against the nation. It was a heady admixture of carefree bohemian life and dog eat dog mentality where the rat race took precedence over simple ethics of live and let live. The rich and the privileged wined, dined and played ‘golf’ literally and otherwise and took luxury holidays with nary a thought to those who were instrumental in bringing peace to the land.

What became important was democracy, human rights and reconciliation – the catch words used by the powerful to subjugate less fortunate nations. There was freedom of speech, all manners of freedom of expression, ‘right to this and right to that’ and promotion of other ways of alternative living not conducive to the simple Sri Lankan culture. These became more important than even the minimum basic needs ordinary living – national security, food security shelter etc. An agenda proposed and recommended by the so called Internation Community led by the US and Human Right bodies in the UN – now described as a cesspit of corruption became the working document for their local agents in Sri Lanka. This is how the cry for a Just Society – Saadharana Samajayak, Good Governance – Yahapalanaya and other similar euphemism were made common parlance among the population. A vain Buddhist Priest in the person of Maduluwawe Sobhitha who was waiting for a platform to find prominence was tapped on his shoulders and made to carry their flag. Country’s rich and the powerful visited his temple and words were put in his ears that he could even be a possible contender for the Presidency. This is how the now infamous Regime Change on 8 Jan 2015 was brought about. 

A lack lustre disgruntled politician in the person of Maithripala Sirisena was brought into contest the war winning President Mahinda Rajapakse. Sirisena won the Presidency with a margin of 500,000 votes. There was hardly a vote for Sirisena per se for all those votes that brought him to power were from the supporters of the UNP,  the Anti Rajapakse voters who resented his style of governance since winning the 2010 Presidential Election and other block votes from Christians, Muslims and Tamils. Even a great majority did not know well who he was.  Sinhalese are divided between two traitorous political parties the UNP and the SLFP and the die was cast for the end of Mahinda Rajapakse presidency.

After winning the Jan 2015 elections it did not take long to understand the rudiments of what was in store for Sri Lanka. The following events and measures were put in place in rapid succession.

1. The Central Bank Bond Scam through which the whole nation was robbed of billions – this happened on 26 Feb 2015 following the appointment of Ranil W as the PM, taking over Central Bank, appointment of Arjun Mahendran as the Central Bank Governor and then the Scam itself. This money went on to finance the August 2015 election for monetary inducements, as everyone knows by now, plays a crucial part in Sri Lankan politics. As a result of this scam interest rates went up and so too the taxes, thus affecting the whole nation. They are still paying for it while the main culprit is still out in the open.
2. Measures to weaken the Security Apparatus of the nation – The Tri Forces. Eviction of security forces from their camps and reduction of all manners of surveillance.
3. Measures to demoralise the Intelligence Community and arrest some of its members on trumped up petit charges.
4. Measures to demoralise, to vilify and to make the Buddhist Establishment ineffective.
5. Introduction of FCID mainly to cow down the opposition as well as the Administrative Apparatus making the decision making a mere political process.
6. Making the real opposition in the parliament a nonentity and ineffective.
7. Measures to disturb the food security of the island.
8. Pauperizing small and medium scale farmer, entrepreneur and investor and the list goes on.
9. The 19 May was to be Ranaviru Day in Sri Lanka. This was the day the Sri Lankan nation found emancipation from Tamil Racist Terrorism. All ordinary peace-loving people, be they Sinhala, Tamil, Muslim or other profited from it for they had above everything – Peace. There were measures to stop any celebrations of the great event of victory over terrorism in Sri Lanka on this day. This is in the backdrop of other nations who still celebrate their war victories even100 years after WW1 and 74 years after WW2 and even their monumental debacles such as Gallipoli with the ANZAC day remembrances by the Australians and New Zealanders.

These and a myriad of other measures have brought the Sri Lankan nation to what it is today. The President and the Prime Minister have failed utterly in their duty. President went on pilgrimage to a Hindu Kovil in India and a luxury holiday in Singapore without leaving a clear line of command or authority in his absence.  The Prime Minister who has failed to attend the Security Council meetings for months denied any knowledge of the Islamic threat.

The behaviour of a government minister who was warned by his father not to attend church on Easter Sunday has left more questions than his pitiful answers. The other more powerful and usually vociferous ministers of the Government are yet to open their mouths! Another Government Minister a Muslim says in front of the nation that he did not think the bombs would be this powerful! A Muslim Mosque leader when asked about hundreds of brand new swords found in mosques around the country says they are for cutting grass in their cemeteries – a colourful demonstration of Islamic Taquiyya or Deception!

An ordinary person affected by the church bombing in Negombo, tears flowing down his cheeks, he and his Christian Community, who voted this government into power are asking their UNP political leaders as to why they let this happen; why they did not give even a simple warning? The President and the Prime Minister denied responsibility; having failed the nation and mostly their own supporters, they still rule this hapless nation! Even in close by India, a simple train accident leads to the resignation of the minister responsible. People are asking why two leaders who have failed the nation miserably are not resigning. Perhaps the answer is in the following:

The then President Ferdinand Marcos of the Philippines was asked why he is not resigning when confronted with large scale countrywide demonstrations asking for his resignation. He simply told I will resign when Americans ask me to do so”. We wonder loudly if this is the case in Sri Lanka too?

Today once again the so much vilified Security Forces are back on the streets trying to provide security to the ordinary people of Sri Lanka, not to mention the all-powerful politicians and their minions. The ground reality is that even the Tamil Politicians who only a few weeks ago with blood in their throats were asking for the security forces to leave their areas are now asking the Security Forces not to leave them and give them protection!

This ungrateful nation has come a full circle, back to where it was 30 years ago because of politics and selfishness. This ungrateful nation forgot the past and are now re-living it once over. Only the future will tell what they will do in the future!

How long does Sri Lanka have to suffer this ignominy?

By M D P DISSANAYAKE

TNA Sambandan, Sumathiran, LTTE Diaspora are rejoicing the events of Good Friday.  Whilst Tamil Tigers aim to destroy Buddhism, its counter-part Muslims are aiming to destroy Christianity.  Though these two groups are in two diversely different camps, their ultimate objective would be to cripple Sri Lanka so that the small island could easily become fertile ground like Afganistan.  

TNA and LTTE Diaspora are so silent since Good Friday events, raise the suspicion that they too might be providing vital intelligence with years of experience.  North of Sri Lanka must also be searched, from house to house.  So far authorities have not searched the houses of Sumanthiran, Rauf Hakeem, Hisbulla, Sally.   By now these crooks had sufficient time to find hide outs to put away their weapons, if any.

It is a shame that we still have to call Maithreepala Sirisena as President and Ranil as Prime Minister of Sri Lanka.  No one believe that these two did not have prior knowledge of the planned attack.  Ranil will never initiate any action against Tamil and Muslim politicians, for their possible involvements. Ranil never considered Internal Security as vital for our nation. Ranil held the role for just few months in 2015 and then passed on to Sagala Ratnayake  and then to Ranjith Madduma Bandara. Now our Law and Order Minister is  Pallewatte Gamaralalage Maithripala Yapa Sirisena.

Impressd by a  pre-prepared somewhat emotional speech of convicted criminal Sarath Fonseka few days ago in the Parliament, Ranil is now trying to sneak SF to the role.

Schools remain closed which will disrupt teaching and examination schedule.  Even if schools are opened, most parents may not send their children to schools for some time.

At this moment we cannot allow these incidents to pass through without severe punishment to those who took over the country.   Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith has provided effective leadership at this hour, compared to our Malwatte Chapter.

This is not a suitable time for 20^th Amendment, Anura Kumara need to see a doctor in Angoda Mental Hospital.  This is not a time to make trial and error appointments to Cabinet and appoint  a disgraced politician with hidden agenda.  This is also not a time to give any more time to our current failed Leaders, viz. Ranil and Maithree.

This is the time to call for General and Presidential Elections.  Considering unstable security situation, electronic media could be used effectively for political propaganda activities.

Ranil and Maithree, please step down.

sunil vijaya

The proliferation of swords and other weapons clearly tell a story which shows the characteristics of primitive warfare.  why don’t the security forces analyse further this threat!

why use swords unless they want to chop people in mass numbers going into crowded places in battalions.   

This development is as dangerous as suicide bombers. why on earth swords!!! unless an island-wide attack in temples, homes, schools with an army of wordsmen and women on a specific day? probably a poya.

Maybe we avoided a war using conventional weapons!

Maybe they wanted to burn everything down and install one of their wahaabi minsters as leader of the country With the help of Saudi Arabia and in turn their American friends?

Isn’t this a new development?  Was there a planned attack by explosives and swords by both wahaabi men and women In one go?

Why is Pottuvila aka pottuvil not showing any signs of aggression, especially Muhudu maha vihara precincts?

Ada Derana

https://www.facebook.com/mrmecon/videos/10219220630768007/

Sri Lanka News

මධ්‍යම පළාත් ආණ්ඩුකාර මෛත්‍රී ගුණරත්න මහතා අද (30) බොදු බල සේනා මහ ලේකම් රාජකීය පණ්ඩිත ගලගොඩඅත්තේ ඥානසාර හිමි බැහැ දැකීම සඳහා වැලිකඩ බන්ධනාගාරය වෙත පැමිණෙන ලදි. එහිදී මාධ්‍ය අමතමින් ඔහු දැක්වූ අදහස්….

ඥානසාර ස්වාමින් වහන්සේටත් මාව හම්බෙන්න ඕනි වෙලා තිබුනා. මටත් ඕනා වෙලා තිබ්බා ස්වාමින් වහන්සේ මුණගැහෙන්න. ඒකයි ස්වාමින්වහන්සේ බැහැ දකින්න පැමිණියේ.

 ඥානසාර ස්වාමීන් වහන්සේ, රටේ ආරක්ෂක තත්වය ගැන සෑහෙන අවධානයෙන් ඉන්නවා. ඒ වගේම මේක ගැන සුළුවෙන් තකන්න එපා මේක බැරෑරුම්ම වැඩසටහනක්. මේක ජනාධිපතිතුමත් එක්ක කතා කරන්න. මේක ඔලුවෙන් කරන්න ඕන වැඩක්, කියන එක තමයි කියන්නේ. උන්වහන්සේ සෑම අවස්ථාවකදීම සඳහන් කරන්නේ අහිංසක මුස්ලිම් මිනිස්සු මේකට පලි නෑ. ඉතින් මුස්ලිම් මිනිස්සු තලා පෙලන්නේ නැතුව මේ වැඩේ ඉතාම සියුම්ව ප්‍රවේශමෙන් කරන්න ඕනේ.. කියන එක ගැන ඉතාමත් දැඩි ලෙස අවධානය යොමු කරන්න කියලා ස්වාමීන් වහන්සේ කිව්වා.

උන්වහන්සේ කිව්වේ පන්සල් විතරක් නෙමෙයි අපි නොහිතන සිද්ධස්ථාන වෙන්න පුළුවන්.. වෙන ඕනෙම තැනක් වෙන්න පුළුවන්.. අපි නොහිතන ප්‍රහාර එල්ල වෙන්න පුළුවන් කියන එක තමයි උන්වහන්සේගේ මතය.

අධිකරණයෙන් උන්වහන්සේව වැරදිකාරයා කරලා ඇතුලට දැම්මත් උන්වහන්සේ කරපු සටන අද ඇත්ත කියන එක බොහෝ දුරට අද රටේ ජනතාව පිළිගන්නවා. උන්වහන්සේ දන්නා තොරතුරු සහ දැනුම පාවිච්චි කරලා මේ රට ගිනි ජාලාවක් බවට පත් නොකර, මේ රටේ සියලූ ජන කොටස් ආරක්ෂා කරන විදියට වැඩ පිළිවෙළක් කරන්න අවශ්‍යයි.

මම හිතන හැටියට අද තියෙන මේ සංකීර්ණ තත්ත්වය ගැන උන්වහන්සේ ගේ දැනුම ආරක්ෂක සහ පක්ෂවලට පාවිච්චි කිරීමට හැකියාව තියෙනවා. මේ ප්‍රශ්නේ සමනය කිරීමට එය  උදව් වෙයි කියන එක මට විශ්වාසයි.

ඥානසාර ස්වාමීන් වහන්සේ ප්‍රකාශ කරපු මතවාදයට අපි කවුරුත් කවුරුත් ලොකු තැනක් දුන්නේ නැහැ. ඒ මතවාදය ඔක්කොමලා  දැනගත්තා දන්නවා. කවුරුත් හිතුවේ නෑ. ලංකාවේ මේ ප්‍රශ්නේ මෙහෙම වෙයි කියලා. ඒකයි සිද්ධ වෙලා තිබ්බේ. ඒකත් එක්ක ඥානසාර ස්වාමීන් වහන්සේ කියපු මතවාදයට දැන් දැන් වටිනාකමක් ලැබිලා තිබෙනවා.

Good Catholic

In one simple quote, Sister Joan Chittister, O.S.B. sums up the hypocrisy of many in the ‘pro-life’ movement:

“I do not believe that just because you’re opposed to abortion, that that makes you pro-life. In fact, I think in many cases, your morality is deeply lacking if all you want is a child born but not a child fed, not a child educated, not a child housed. And why would I think that you don’t? Because you don’t want any tax money to go there. That’s not pro-life. That’s pro-birth. We need a much broader conversation on what the morality of pro-life is.”

This quote applies well to many Republican lawmakers who continue to introduce/pass restrictive misogynist laws against woman’s reproductive rights. At the same time, the GOP works to shut down women’s health clinics, with a special vengeance towards Planned Parenthood (#StandWithPP). You don’t see these Right Wing anti-choice extremists adopting children from unplanned pregnancies or putting funds into sex education.

But you do see Republican lawmakers cut access to birth control, which prevents abortions. You do see the GOP’s 54 attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act and their $24 billion Government Shutdown, both to destroy universal health reform which protects the needs of millions of American children. And you do see Republican lawmakers cut government programs like school lunches for children and block government financial aid to families who are homeless and/or in need.

The goals of these so-called anti-choice/’pro-life’ hypocrites are not about fetuses or children once born, their agenda is about controlling women’s bodies and women’s futures. How great to hear Sister Joan Chittister, a Benedictine nun, define the pro-life/anti-choice GOP double talk so well. An outspoken advocate for women, Sister Joan Chittister is a lecturer and author of 50 books. Holding a Ph.D. from Penn State University, she is also a research associate in a division of Cambridge University. Other subjects of her writing include women in the church and society, human rights, peace and justice, religious life and spirituality. She has appeared in the media on numerous shows including Meet the Press, 60 Minutes, Bill Moyers, BBC, NPR, and Oprah Winfrey.You can visit Joan Chittister’s website at Joan Chittister.org.

By Rathindra Kuruwita and Cyril Wimalasurendre Courtesy The Island

More than 60 persons were arrested yesterday along with a large number of weapons, the National Thowheed Jamath (NTJ) propaganda material and clothes similar to military uniform during search operations carried out by Police, STF and the tri-forces in several parts of the country, according to the Army and the Police.

The Kuliyapitiya Police detected a large volume of fabrics similar to saffron robes worn by Buddhist monks and several garments that resemble military uniform, yesterday, at an unauthorised mosque and a house in Yayawatta, Kuliyapitiya. The Police carried out the raid with the assistance of the Army. Police arrested the head of the mosque and a female suspect.

Police also arrested 14 suspects including the chairman of the Wellawa branch of National Thowheed Jamath during a search operation at Hadirawalana, Wellawa. Over 200 security force personnel took part in the raid and they took into custody six swords, four daggers, 15 DVDs containing NTJ propaganda and 20 NTJ banners.

The Horowpathana Police have taken into custody a number of suspicious items from an Arabic School run by a suspect who was arrested in the same police area, on Monday.

The suspect is believed to have been a close associate of extremist Zahran Hashmi, the mastermind of Easter Sunday suicide bombers. Following interrogation, Horowpathana Police, along with the personnel from the Kebithigollewa STF camp and army intelligence, raided an Arabic school, where the suspect was a Director. Among the items confiscated are letters that he has exchanged with the National Thowheed Jamath (NTJ).

The Kalpitiya Police arrested 31 suspects who were unable to reveal their identities and several suspicious vehicles yesterday morning in Mandalkuda, Kalpitiya. They were apprehended during a combined raid carried out by Police, Navy and the Air Force.

Out of those arrested ten are from Mannar. The vehicles taken into custody are registered in Western and Eastern Provinces.

The Pindeniya Police arrested three suspects who were in possession of hi-tech equipment at Kotiyakumbura. The arrests were made in a building owned by a businessman. Police also detected a high grade GPS receiver, mobile phones, cameras, petrol bombs, swords, knives, barbed wire, walkie -talkies and a number of passports. They were to be produced in courts and remanded.

Five persons were arrested at Kebethigollewa, on Tuesday, for possessing video recordings of the Easter Sunday bombings, photographs of Zahran Hashmi and photos and videos of the Wanathavilluwa jihadist training camp. They were arrested during a combined search operation conducted by the Police and the army. The five men are residents of Vavuniya, KKS and Kinniya, who were working in Kebethigollewa. Among those arrested are two men who were taking video footage of a security post in Hijragama along the Horowpathana road. The five men were to be produced before the Kebethigollewa Magistrate’s court, yesterday.

Soldiers attached to the army’s 11 division arrested 12 persons in Akurana along with swords and other military equipment. Three swords, parts of firearms, clothing that resemble military uniforms, posters, banners and CDs that contain NTJ propaganda, forged passports, NICs and birth certificates were taken into custody. The operation lasted for more than three hours.

Courtesy dnaindia.com

Citing a ban on the burqa in Sri Lanka after the deadly Easter Sunday attacks, Shiv Sena mouthpiece ‘Saamna’ on Wednesday demanded the imposition of a similar ban in India.

 Citing Sri Lanka blast Shiv Sena calls for burqa ban in ‘Ram’s land’, NDA ally RPI disagrees

Citing a ban on the burqa in Sri Lanka after the deadly Easter Sunday attacks, Shiv Sena mouthpiece ‘Saamna’ on Wednesday demanded the imposition of a similar ban in India.

The Sena’s proposal, however, was rejected by another NDA ally, Union Minister Ramdas Athawale of the Republican Party of India, who said that burqa should not be banned as it forms part of the country’s tradition.

The Shiv Sena editorial states “It has happened in Ravan’s Lanka. When will it happen in Ram’s Ayodhya? We ask this question to the PM as he is scheduled to visit Ayodhya on Wednesday”.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to address a political rally near Ayodhya today.

“The present government has made a law against Triple Talaq to stop the exploitation of Muslim women. After the ghastly bomb attacks, Sri Lanka has imposed a ban on the burqa and all types of face covers. President Maithripala Sirisena also announced that the decision has been taken for national security,” Saamna said in a write-up published on Wednesday.

“We welcome this decision and in the national interest, we demand Prime Minister Modi to also follow the footsteps of Sri Lankan President and ban burqa and face covers in India as well,” the Shiv Sena mouthpiece said.

In an editorial titled “Question to Prime Minister Modi, it happened in Ravan’s Lanka, when will it happen in Ram’s Ayodhya?”, Samna has also cited the death count of Colombo’s Easter Sunday attack to assert that the country which freed from itself of LTTE’s terrorism is now under the grip of Islamic terrorism.

Sanjay Raut, Shiv Sena leader said, ” Burqa and niqab are not religious attires for India, they are being banned all over the world. If some people relate it to religion and Islam in India then they must not have read the Quran, they should read it properly.”

RPI leader Ramdas Athwale, however, disagreed with the Sena’s proposal to ban the burqa in public places and said it is a tradition in India and there should be no ban on it.

“Not all women who wear the burqa are terrorists if they are terrorists their burqa should be removed. It is a tradition and they have the right to wear it, there shouldn’t be a ban on the burqa in India,” Athwale told ANI.

Meanwhile, BJP’s national spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao said there was no need for imposition of any kind of ban in the country.

“We have zero tolerance towards terrorism but I don’t think there is a need to impose any kind of ban as the country is already in safe hands of Prime Minister Modi. 

Everyone is free to make suggestions but the whole world knows that the Central government has effectively dealt with terrorism and I don’t think any new steps are required for this.”

In its editorial, the Shiv Sena mouthpiece has pointed to countries namely France, New Zealand, Australia and Britain who have put a ban on the burqa.

Shiv Sena also claimed that the practice of burqa has nothing to do with Islam and is actually, a practice that was adopted in the Arabian countries due to their climatic condition.

“Basically, the burqa is not at all concerned with Islam, and Indian Muslims are following an arrangement of the Arab nation. At one time, to avoid desert heat and sunlight in 

the Arab nation, women used to cover their face and get out of the house.

“In Maharashtra also when the temperature rises at many places, the women travelling through cycle and scooters cover their face with a cloth or handkerchief, but this usage is limited to that. But in this delusion or blind faith, that wearing a face cover or burqa is the order of Koran, Muslims continue to use it,” an excerpt of the Samna editorial reads.

The Sri Lankan government on Sunday adopted measures to impose a complete ban on all types of burqas and face covers in the wake of the horrific terror bombings that rattled the entire country on Easter Sunday, claiming lives of more than 250 people and injuring hundreds. 

Yohan Perera Courtesy The Daily Mirror

There is a possible linkage between Eastern Province Governor M. L. A. M. Hisbullah to Batticaloa Campus Private Ltd., which has been identified as a sharia university, UNP MP Ashu Marasinghe charged today. 

Dr. Marasinghe is a member of the parliamentary oversight committee on education and higher education.  He is also chairman of the subcommittee on higher education who function under the oversight committee.  

At a press conference, Dr. Marasinghe advised that probes must be carried out to determine the connection between the campus and the governor. He also advised that an Islamic institution named ‘Hira Foundation’ possess a 90% stake in the campus.

He said a total sum of Rs 3.6 billion had gone to this foundation for several years and that the campus is not registered under the Ministry of Higher Education or with the University Grants Commission (UCG). 

The MP suggested that the institution should be converted into a state university so that monitoring would be easier. MP Mujibur Rahman also attended the press conference and said the amendments which the opposition wants for the Counter Terrorism Bill could be accommodated so that it could be approved in parliament soon. 

This legislation comprises necessary laws to combat global terrorism” he said. He said the support of the opposition is needed to bring in new laws to apprehend global terrorists as many areas have to be looked into when combating international terrorists. 

Therefore, he said using modern technology for training and communication should also be looked into when making laws to combat global terrorists. One could even learn how to use weapons online with the available technology,” he said.

Courtesy The Daily Mirror

Girls too young to understand the essence of religion adorn the Nikab. Some forced due to cultural imposition, and others too young to know why. Madrasas spread across the island ignore history, art culture, literature and theology which form the core of religious education. 

Instead the focus is on rituals and taboos. Kattankudy, in the East, is but one example of cultural alienation and segregation.The effects of the alienation and archaic practices which the majority of Muslims in Sri Lanka are against and don’t adhere to have to face, day in and day out. Some 36 Muslims have left to fight for the IS (Islamic State), and we wonder why?  

Following the opinion piece titled ‘Sinhaley, Muslims and Fascim’ the response from the Sri Lankan Muslims has been overwhelming. Many have written to say that their fears were exactly the same as penned down and their oppositions were no different. Many others have written in to say that they have been left helpless and are merely bystanders witnessing the usurpation of a once vibrant culture, unique to Sri Lankan Muslims.

• The closing of the gates of ‘ Ijtihad’ (Independent Reasoning) was a period in Islamic history where the rulers, fearing revolt from the masses, imposed strict and harsh interpretations of religion
• An Islam that is lost without art, culture or literature and in complete denial of the essence of the liberation of the soul. Instead it has been usurped by a version which has suppressed any creativity

However there has been a backlash of sorts. On the one hand for which the crux stems from the reasoning given behind the face veil, a garment alien to Sri Lankan and South East Asian culture and its practices. A symbol of the radicalism among Sri Lankan Muslims. And on the other from those who espouse their fascist ‘Sinhaley’ agenda. 

They are but two sides of the same coin. For the purpose of this article, the focus will be on the former. I am inclined to believe that the many who adorn the face veil and those who justify the wearing of such have based their reasoning on a practice that goes beyond the realms of logic and reasoning. I am aware that rationality would not prevail within their minds. The essay therefore is to provide the majority of Muslims in Sri Lanka a grounding through which they could withstand any further escalation of radicalism.   I understand that the dichotomy between the ‘moderates’ and the ‘extremist’ when faced with an external threat, could cause division and dilution. However, I believe it is imperative that the moderates of the minority quell the extremism within first because one form of extremism is always fuel to the other.   

The fallacy of scripture 

My opposition to the face veil and the irrational religious and cultural imposition justified through scripture stems from simple logical reasoning. The Ku Klux Klan believed that scripture was what guided them, and they quoted scripture to justify their horrific actions against the blacks. The slave owners of yore were also guided by religious scripture, which they quoted freely to shut down any opposition to slavery. Today the Islamic State (IS), also quotes scripture to justify their actions, which has left thousands dead and millions destitute. The crusades are but another example. Israel’s, justification of the occupation of Palestinian land is also based on scripture. The very same scripture used by the Zionists are opposed by the Hasidic Jews. Why? They use the same scripture to say that the rule of Palestine by the Jews should not form a part of Judaism until the return of the messiah. The evangelicals who support Donald Trump, also draw inspiration from scripture.   

Madrasas spread across the island ignore history, art culture, literature and theology which form the core of religious education. Instead the focus is on rituals and taboos

So how then is it logical to seek justification from scripture? Thousands of examples could be cited of the different variants within Islam itself which use the same scripture – the Quran – to justify their beliefs and practices;one always insisting that their interpretation is superior to the other. Wars have been waged, and lives lost within the Muslim community itself based simply on different interpretations given to the exact same text. The Sunni-Shia conflict is just one example. Similarly, there is an argument going back and forth, again based on scripture, for and against the face veil.  

However, as reasoned, to argue on scripture is futile. It’s ones word against the other. Instead it is imperative that the Muslim community of Sri Lanka understands the politics behind the radicalization of a culture in Sri Lanka in which the Muslims thrived, enjoyed freedom and in which they remained an integral component of, as so strikingly illustrated by Dr. Lorna Devaraja in her work titled  ‘Muslims of Sri Lanka – one thousand years of ethnic harmony’.  

The history of the veil 

The Arabian peninsula of pre-Islamic times comprised harsh living conditions exposing the mostly nomadic inhabitants of each tribe to severe sandstorms, heat, and at points winters which were much harsher than what we witness in the modern day. In order to protect themselves from these severe weather conditions, as is logical, men and women of the peninsula devised garments which would protect their bodies. The face veil was used to counter the harsh conditions of an often unwelcoming desert. A basic, reading of pre- Islamic Arabia, or Persia would give anyone a clear notion about the garments worn. Tertullian, in his pre-Islamic treatise ‘Virgins of Veil’, makes reference to Pagan Arabian women who covered their faces.   

While this was the reasoning, among others, for the Nikab in the Peninsula, many ancient civilisations, pre- Islamic of course, adopted different variants of the veil for different reasons.  

The Assyrian women (upper Mesopotamia, descendants of which live spread across the continent) who lived under strict and inhumane conditions under their men, are one example. Following the conquests of the Assyrian Empire starting from before 2000 BC, the empire was flooded with labour from conquered territories. Men were used as slaves, and women as prostitutes and domestic slaves. However as time passed, distinguishing between the ‘immigrants’ and the ‘homelanders’ was problematic. Therefore as a method of distinction between the two, women who were considered ‘homelanders’ were ordered to cover their faces. The face veil thus distinguished the Assyrian women from the prostitutes and the domestic slaves and was viewed as a sign of respect, a privilege denied to the slaves and prostitutes . The logic of the devise is questionable, of course, but historical fact shows that this was a practice adopted in a cruel and backward civilization that existed over 4000 years ago. Once these territories were captured by the Muslims, and one religion was promulgated amongst the masses, the face veil evolved into a cultural phenomenon, supported of course, by the environmental and other social needs of the time. 

Islam was the first religion to have founded a state and religion in quick succession, and adhering to this cultural norm was not seen as a threat of any sort. Rather, it was the costume of the day, and it blended with the culture of the time. The repeated use of the word culture is intentional.  

Islam was the first religion to have founded a state and religion in quick succession, and adhering to this cultural norm was not seen as a threat of any sort. Rather, it was the costume of the day, and it blended with the culture of the time. The repeated use of the word culture is intentional

Accordingly the Nikab continued to be a cultural phenomenon, and a cursory glance at the Islamic conquests by the ‘first Muslims’ headed by the ‘Rashidun’ (the rightly guided ones- the four Caliphs who headed the Empire after the death of The Prophet (PBUH)), is enough evidence to negate any claim that the Nikab had anything to do with Islam. The face veil was not imposed in any of the invaded territories which included Egypt to present-day Tunisia and what is today’s Iran to the borders of Central Asia.   

The conquests by the Umayyads followed the same pattern, with the conquerors not impeding on the cultural identity of the conquered land. This is why we do not see the Nikab prevalent in Palestine, Tunisia, Turkey or Egypt, which were among the earliest territories to be conquered , except of course for the imposition of fundamentalists.  

The Nikab remained a cultural garment except, for an imposition in the 12th and 13th Centuries, again by fundamentalist, who were threatened by the crusades. Despite the imposition it largely remained a garment worn by women for environmental and now cultural reasons. That was as far as it went.  

Fast forward to the 20th Century, Islam was shaken by a similar threat from western imperialism. The free market and governance structures of the west that commenced in the 17th Century threatened the very existence of the States which were under ‘Islamic’ rule. Moreover, it had a massive economic impact on Muslim territories. It was in this backdrop that a move back to ‘fundamentalism’ akin to the one witnessed during the crusades took place.  

The Nikab evolved, from being a cultural attire to a symbol against the expanding European forces and was encouraged by religious and political authorities. Similarities could be drawn here with that of the Assyrians and their adoption of the veil. The veil was seen as an icon of resistance, again confined to Muslim held regions in the Middle East. Theologians and the states worked hand in glove to provide religious reasoning to those who resisted. A fact often overlooked is that politics played an integral role in the expansion of the Islamic empires, as oft is the case with any conquering army and state. Each time the rulers were threatened with internal revolt or external conquests, religion was used as a centre- point to garner support and conformity.   

Closing the gates of Ijthihad – Independent reasoning 

It was in the early 1920s however that the Salafist-Wahabi movements expanded territorially, with the backing of the yet to be found state of Saudi Arabia. The state, which was yet to be formed,adopted its ideologies for purely political and economic reasons. It funded the exporting of a strict and literal interpretation of religion to justify its archaic actions. If not, there seems no other plausible justification for the existence of a ‘Kingdom’ or a ‘Sultanate’ or a deviant of it, in an ‘Islamic’ country.

The closing of the gates of ‘ Ijtihad’ (Independent Reasoning) was a period in Islamic history where the rulers, fearing revolt from the masses, imposed strict and harsh interpretations of religion that blocked the questioning of religion and most importantly prevented questioning of the rulers and their modes of governance. Madrasas and the Ulama who were working hand in glove with the rulers facilitated this imposition. It was akin to the era of Mahinda Rajapaksa in which the entire state machinery worked hand-in-glove with the regime to promote its narrative. The difference however, was that the imposition was systemic and long drawn. The religion was the same, and therefore resistance was not as strong as when religions and races differ. The politics involved with the radical Islamic element of the 20th century was no different.   

The conquests by the Umayyads followed the same pattern, with the conquerors not impeding on the cultural identity of the conquered land. This is why we do not see the Nikab prevalent in Palestine, Tunisia, Turkey or Egypt, which were among the earliest territories to be conquered , except of course for the imposition of fundamentalists

It is the long reach of this imposition, a new wave of which began in the 1970s that we are witnessing in Sri Lanka today. The main form of exporting the fundamentalism was through migrant workers who found employment in Saudi Arabia, after which the structures were established in different parts of the world. 

Radical Islam has a political goal. The root of the message which rally’s people behind any ultra nationalist movement, which scholars draw parallels with ‘radical Islam’, is a ‘return to the forgotten past or a greater future’. This wave of radical Islam is no different. It is this political element that channels the funds and drives the masses to alienate their culture and locality and adopt alien and extreme practices.  

The spiritual Islam – beyond the radicalism 

But behind the noise and drama, there lies an Islam that is spiritual. An Islam among others that attempts to understand the true essence of the spiritual retreats and solitude The Prophet (PBUH) underwent prior to the revelations. An Islam in which religion is a personal relationship between the adherent and the creator. It is an Islam in which prayer is not simply a ritual but is meditation. Fasting is not only confined to staying hungry from dawn to dusk. Instead, it includes the fasting of the mind, from anything that could impede the minds meditative state. An Islam which gave the world some of the most modern architectural wonders and important components of Algebra, Geometry, Astrology and Medicine. An Islam which gave the world some of the most comprehensive music compositions. An Islam which produced Gibrans, Rumis and may I even dare say Tagores.   

An Islam in which Nasrudeen Shah was a sage and not a heretic. It is an Islam of ‘peace’, in which the attainment of being at peace with oneself and with the nature surrounding the individual is the essence of its teachings. An Islam that enacted some of the most modern elements of International Law, including Human Rights Law, Family Law and Contract Law. An Islam which gave the world jurisprudence unparalleled in human civilization.

A brief look at the modes adopted to trace a Hadith would amaze any modern archivist, historian or academic. An Islam in which debate and discourse was a central element in its evolution. An Islam that is lost today among the cacophony of rules and impositions. An Islam that is lost without art, culture or literature and in complete denial of the essence of the liberation of the soul. Instead it has been usurped by a version which has suppressed any creativity.   

It was in the early 1920s however that the Salafist-Wahabi movements expanded territorially, with the backing of the yet to be found state of Saudi Arabia. The state, which was yet to be formed,adopted wahabi ideologies for purely political and economic reasons

Creativity gives rise to revolt and reform. So quelling it using religious justification was the best way forward for the rulers, the effects of which we are witnessing in Sri Lanka today. 
Today Islam as espoused by these fundamentalist elements is confined to an empty shell full of taboos and rituals, of which the original meaning seems to be lost. The usurpation of a century’s, if not millennia, old culture which has evolved, that is unique to Sri Lanka and to South East Asia must be resisted, and the leadership for it must come from Muslim communities itself. It is against this usurpation that the Sri Lankan Muslims must make their stand clear. The time is now, if not before long Sri Lanka will suffer the consequences of segregation from the countries’ ethos.  

The writer is a Journalist, Attorney-at-Law, Graduate in International Relations. He is also a Fulbright scholar having studied Journalism at the New York University (NYU) 

Courtesy The Daily Mirror

The British Government has consistently made clear its unreserved determination to fight the scourge of terrorism, the British High Commission (BHC) in Colombo said today.

Issuing a statement following reports that suggest that His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith might have questioned the UK’s commitment to the fight against terrorism, the BHC said the UK Unreservedly committed to fight terrorism on the United Kingdom’s own soil and to help others to fight it on theirs.

The British Government has consistently made clear its unreserved determination to fight the scourge of terrorism on the United Kingdom’s own soil, and to help others to fight it on theirs.  

It has also made very clear its view that the international community must remain firm in its determination to counter and defeat the poisonous ideologies that lie behind terrorist attacks around the world.

On Tuesday 23 April, the National Day of Mourning in Sri Lanka, the British Foreign Secretary, Jeremy Hunt MP, led a debate in the House of Commons on the Easter Sunday attacks.

He said: Today, the flags in Downing Street and on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office are flying at half-mast following the horrific Easter day terrorist attack in Sri Lanka.

These attacks were a primitive and vile attempt to sow division between people of different faiths. Religious tensions have caused some of the bloodiest battles in human history, and it is sombre and sobering that even in the 21st century attempts continue to set believers of different religions against each other. Our response must be to deny the perpetrators the satisfaction of dividing us by being united in our condemnation of the attacks and united in our support for religious tolerance – surely one of humanity’s greatest achievements.

The UK will never stand by in the face of such evil. Today, we stand in solidarity with the Government and people of Sri Lanka, who have made enormous strides towards stability and peace following the conclusion of the civil war almost exactly 10 years ago. To attack Christian worshippers at Easter, which is a celebration of peace and the holiest day in the Christian calendar, betrays in the attackers an absence of the most basic values of humanity.   

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth wrote to President Sirisena last week: Prince Philip and I were deeply saddened to learn of the attacks in Sri Lanka earlier today, and send our condolences to the families and friends of those who have lost their lives. I pay tribute to the medical and emergency services who are providing support to those who have been injured. Our thoughts and prayers are with all Sri Lankan’s at this difficult time.”

The Prince of Wales has written of his and his wife’s profound sadness on hearing of the attacks.   

Such acts of dreadful brutality, wherever they occur, are an appalling assault on our shared humanity, and our values of understanding and compassion. That so many men, women and children should be targetted for their faith, and so cruelly killed and injured in their places of worship on this most holy of days for Christians, is a despicable atrocity and an attack on us all.  

We did just want you to know how much our hearts go out to everyone who has been so cruelly bereaved or injured, and that all Sri Lankans are in our most special thoughts and prayers as you mourn those you have lost.”

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have also written to the people of Sri Lanka: Our hearts go out to the families and friends of those who have lost their lives, to the Christian community, and to the people of Sri Lanka at this tragic time. You are all in our thoughts and prayers.”

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and British Prime Minister Theresa May spoke last week. Mrs May told Mr Wickremesinghe that the UK would stand with Sri Lanka in the fight to counter terrorism and tackle extremist ideologies. She reconfirmed the UK’s readiness to support Sri Lanka. A Metropolitan Police team and British counter terrorism experts have been in Sri Lanka since soon after the attacks and are working very closely with the Sri Lankan authorities and other international partners,” it said.

Courtesy Adaderana

Security forces are continuing to carry out island-wide search operations to ensure the security of the country following the Easter Day attacks.

Mullaitivu police stated that 09 walkie-talkies generally used by security forces and clothing similar to Army uniforms among other items have been found in a luxury hotel under construction in the Alampil area in Mullaitivu.

The Army has found these today (01) in a search operation carried out at the construction site of the hotel.

Among the seized items, a pair of binoculars, 11 SIM cards, batteries used for walkie-talkies, a dagger, and 02pairs of boots used by Army personnel have also been found during the search.

Reportedly, no one had been at the construction site when the search was carried out and the hotel construction is funded by a person residing abroad, stated the Police.

No individual has been arrested on the matter and Mullaitivu Police are carrying out further investigations.

Meanwhile, 12 persons and other items including swords have been found in another raid conducted by the Sri Lanka Army in Akurana.

The Army has found 03 swords, parts of firearms, clothing similar to Army uniforms, posters, banners and CDs that may belong to the Thowheed Jamaath organization, several number plates of vehicles, fake passports, National Identity Cards, birth certificates in the area.

Search operations are still carried out in the area, stated the Sri Lanka Army.

Furthermore, the Police have also found 03 swords near a mosque in Galenbindunuwewa, stated Ada Derana reporter.

Courtesy Adaderana

Four oceanic scientists were among the six Chinese nationals killed during the Easter Sunday bomb blasts in Sri Lanka, the Chinese Embassy in Colombo said.

The deceased included Li Jian, 38, and Pan Wenliang, 35, who were senior engineers at the South China Sea Institute of Oceanology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (SCSIO). 

Two others, Li Dawei, 30, and Wang Liwei, 26, were from the First Institute of Oceanography under the Ministry of Natural Resources, state-run Global Times reported on Wednesday.

Websites of both the institutes turned black and white to mourn the dead scientists.

Li, along with four other scientists, arrived at the Kingsbury Hotel in Colombo on April 18 and 19, respectively. They were supposed to participate in joint scientific cooperation between China and Sri Lanka, the SCSIO said. 

The embassy said another five people from the Chinese Academy of Sciences were injured during the explosions. All of them have returned to China for further treatment, state-run China Daily reported.

They had traveled to Sri Lanka in the mid of April for research purposes, it said. 

The series of coordinated attacks that ripped through three churches and luxury hotels claimed 253 lives and injured over 500 others.

The Lankan foreign ministry has confirmed the death of 42 foreign nationals, including 11 Indians, in the blasts.

A total of 106 suspects, including a Tamil medium teacher and a school principal, have been arrested in connection with the Easter Sunday blasts.

The Islamic State claimed the attacks, but the government has blamed local Islamist extremist group National Thowheeth Jamaath (NTJ) for the attacks.

-Agencie

Courtesy Adaderana

The police, based on a tip-off by the residents of Polpithigama, Kurunegala, have managed to find a Singapore-manufactured hand grenade near the Moragollagama railway station.

Subsequently, the bomb disposal squad of the Sri Lanka Navy disarmed the bomb, stated the Police.

Meanwhile, a special operation carried out by intelligence officers on a tip-off received by the State Intelligence Service has found 04 swords at a restaurant situated closeby to the Badulla-Badulupitiya and Badulla Jumma mosque.

Two suspects have also been arrested by the intelligence officers and they have been handed over to the Badulla police for interrogation.

Courtesy Adaderana

Badulla Police have inspected a house 12 feet away from the Badulla prison, today (01), and had managed to discover a suspicious ongoing construction within the house.

Ada Derana reporter states that 5 persons have been taken into the custody of the police for questioning.

The construction was made 12 feet deep from the floor of the house and it two rooms had been built inside it while another was still mid-construction.

The owner of the house and 04 other persons who had been involved in the constructing process have been apprehended in this manner.

According to Ada Derana reporter, the Badulla prison is in the perfect view from the upstairs of the house.

Apprehended persons will be produced before Badulla Magistrate and Badulla Police are conducting further investigations on it.

Courtesy Adaderana

Just three days after Sri Lanka issued a ban on all face coverings in the wake of Easter Sunday terror attacks, a regional party in India affiliated to Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party has openly called for banning face masks and the burqa. 

Maharashtra’s Shiv Sena party, which is known for its parochial politics and majoritarian Hindutva ideology, has reportedly recommended a similar ban in India, as an emergency measure to ensure that security forces do not encounter difficulties in identifying anybody.” 

South Asia, largely, has been on an alert since the terror attacks in Sri Lanka that killed over 350 people. In India, a hoax call warning the Karnataka police, claiming knowledge of a possible terror attack in South India, led to much panic and confusion led to much panic and confusion. 

While the Sri Lankan government’s ban stopped short of naming the niqab, burqa or the hijab, the ban is being seen as a crackdown on the country’s Muslim community and has divided opinion in the island nation. 

The call for the ban in India from Shiv Sena is not surprising, and it’s likely to open up a wider political debate on the garment identified with Muslim women. Given the party’s close ties with the RSS, the ideological parent of the BJP, the polarising rhetoric may even find vocal support. After all, the general elections are underway in the country and 30% of the electorate is yet to vote. 

The BJP, Sena’s ally, itself has led the charge against some of the Muslim social practices. The regressive triple talaq” — where the husband can divorce a wife just by saying talaq” thrice — has been one of the party’s flagship campaigns. Even as India’s supreme court sought to ban the practice through an ordinance, a bill introduced by the BJP banning triple talaq faced opposition in the upper house of the Parliament. 

There is also a campaign against nikah halala” — the practice that forces some Muslim women to marry another man in order to be married again to their divorced husbands. 

BJP has also promised to introduce a uniform civil code that will exclude any existing privileges afforded by Indian law based on religion. This was an election promise in 2014 too, but the debate hasn’t progressed since.

-Agencies

Courtesy Adaderana

Speaking at a foreign media interview, Kishu Gomes, the Chairman of the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, stated that the Easter Day attacks are a blow in the economy at large, not just tourism industry.

However, the Chairman says that when considering other tourist destinations which also received similar attacks in similar incidents such as Bali or Paris, he is fairly confident that Sri Lanka might be able to bounce back in a few days time.

Army is in well control. They have been able to apprehend most of the culprits and they say that they will be able to apprehend the masterminds behind the organizations. They have so far been very very effective”, said Gomes.

Therefore, he is sure that over the next couple of months Sri Lanka will be able to reach that safe environment within which the rebuilding process could begin, he said.

Speaking of the people in the industry who have been affected by the attacks, he says nearly 700,000 persons are involved in the tourism sector and make a livelihood from the tourism sector. Out of which nearly 400,000 persons are directly involved with the sector, he pointed out. It is quite significant given that tourism is the 3rd largest revenue generator of the country, he said.

According to the Chairman, the maximum impact on the tourism industry will be about 20%, both in terms of the number of tourists and the economic impact.

Many have come up to me to show their support and condolences. This is global terrorism. In a situation of that nature we all have to get together and support each other that the world is a safer place for all tourists to enjoy all destinations”, concluded Gomes.

Courtesy Adaderana

Sri Lanka Army has uncovered explosives and weapons during an operation conducted in the Mallar area in Samanthurai this morning (01), stated Ada Derana reporter.

When inspecting an abandoned land plot in Mallar, 20 pistol ammunition, 08 bullets, an Army uniform, and a belt have been discovered by the Army.

The forces had then inspected the house next to the land and had found 200 Gelignite sticks, 200 detonators, 46 wire cords, and 100 kg of Ammonia.

Subsequently, the Army had carried out a search operation in the whole area with the assistance of Police canines.

One of the canines led the officials to the house the driver of an MP from Digamadulla district where they discovered a pistol.

It has been revealed that the owner of the land plot which contained the explosives and weapons was also the said parliamentarian.

Security forces searched many houses in Sammanthurai area. They had found 02 guns, 5 bullets, and a motorbike without number plates in the search operations.

Ada Derana

Ada Derana

Courtesy The Daily Mirror

The US believes members of the militant group blamed for Sri Lanka’s Easter Sunday attacks may be at large and planning more assaults, US Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Alaina Teplitz has told Reuters on Tuesday.

We do believe that the terrorist threat is ongoing and there may be active plotters. Active members of the attack group that carried out the terror attacks on Easter Sunday may still be at large,” Ambassador Teplitz said.

We certainly have reason to believe that the active attack group has not been fully rendered inactive. We do believe that there is active planning underway,” she said.

Courtesy Adaderana

The U.S. ambassador to Sri Lanka said on Tuesday that some of the Islamist militants behind Easter Sunday bombings that killed more than 250 people were likely still at large and could be planning more attacks.

Sri Lankan security forces also said they were maintaining a high level of alert amid intelligence reports that the militants were likely to strike before the beginning of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, which is due to begin next Monday.

Tremendous progress has been made towards apprehending those plotters but I don’t think the story is over yet,” Ambassador Alaina Teplitz said in an interview.

We do believe that there is active planning underway,” she said, referring to the possibility of more attacks.

Scores of suspected Islamists have been arrested in the multi-ethnic island nation since April 21 suicide bomb attacks on hotels and churches. Among the dead were 42 foreign nationals.

Security will stay tight for several days because military and police are still tracking down suspects,” a senior police intelligence official said. 

Another government source told Reuters security authorities had ordered police and other security forces across the Buddhist-majority country to remain on high alert because the militants were expected to try to strike before Ramadan.

Teplitz told Reuters the risk of more attacks remained real.

We certainly have reason to believe that the active attack group has not been fully rendered inactive,” she said.

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation is assisting Sri Lankan authorities in the investigations but Teplitz declined to give more details.

The State Department has issued a travel advisory suggesting people reconsider plans to travel to Sri Lanka.

Source: Reuters

සුදත් ගුණසේකර

මානම් හිතුවේ ලන්කාවෙ ඉන්න හාමුදුරුවරු ඔක්කොම සාසනය සහ ජාතිය බේරගන්ත මහපාරට බසි කියලා.මේ රතේ 30000 දාහක් පමන් ඉන්නවා කියන හාමුදුරුවරු අදවන තුරු හමුදුරුවරු100 පාරට බෑස්සාද ඒ හාමුදුරුවෝ වෙනුවෙන්  1818 නිදහස් සටනේදිත් සුද්දගෙ පෑත්ත අරගෙන රට හා ජාතිය පාවාදුන්න එක්නෙලිගොඩ පරම්පරාවෙ උපාසක අම්මා කෙනෙක් මස් රාත්තලම ඉල්ලා සතනේ.

අඩුගානෙ මේ පාපකර්මයෙන් බේරෙන්ට කියලා මේ චින්චිමානවිකාවට කියන්ත්ටවත් එක හාමුදුරු කෙනෙක්වත් නෑ නේ.

මේවිදියට හාමුදුරුවරු නිස්සබ්දව හිටියොත් තව අවුරුදු පහක් යන්ත ඉස්සරවෙලා උලමෝ සහ බස්සෝ මේ රට අල්ලගන්නව නියතය. එදාට අපේ හාමුදුරුවරු අදිපථිකම් කරන්නේ මොන පන්සලේද.මොනනිකායේද.
ඒ නිසා දෑන්වත් එක හාර පන්සියක්වත් ජනාධිපති මුනගෑහිල මේ හමුදුරුවෝ නිදහස් කරන්ට කියන්නෙ නෑත්තේ මොකද.

එහෙම කිවාම ථ් අහන්නෙ නෑත්නම් අඩුගානෙ හාමුදුරුවරු1000 වත් ජනාධිපති කාර්යාලය වටකරලා ර්ට වෙනුවෙන් නහින මේ බුදුපුතුන් වහන්සේ වහාම නිදහස් කරන්ට කියලා කීවොත් නේද හොදඉ කියල මම හිතනවා.
 සින්හල බෞදයෙක් වසයෙන් ජනාධිපතිවරයාට ඈස් එරේවා කියල මම ප්‍රාර්තනකරනවා.

Dr Sarath Obeysekera  

I was trying to drive to Cinemen Grand Hotel  and found that driving to the foyer was  blocked .Tried few other places and failed due to increased checking ,

Managed to enter one of the four star hotels by Galle Face but parking was not allowed .I got down and walked in .Staff was looking at me with caution and did a body check and with some sort of a detector .

Walked to coffee shop in the empty ground floor and bought a teas and sat down to kill time to collect my wife from work.

Few week back I had a bitter experience in the same hotel, when I was not treated well as I was not a foreigner .A manager was uncaring of me and I wrote to this paper about the bad experience.

Now we are back to the era similar to what we had during the war .Hotels are empty and local visitors may be treated better.

At that time when I had the bitter experience there was no much attention paid by them to my complain.

Yesterday I saw the Muslim owner of the hotel standing by the reception and watching the  entrance helplessly .

I found that there are only four guests in the whole hotel in contrast to the occupancy few weeks back.

I am not sure how long it will take to revive the tourism unless hotels rethink about their strategy for survival.

Soon people will be laid off and unrest may start.

Banks should not charge interest for the next year for the loans they have taken to develop the hotel.

Hotels should reduce rate by  50-75 % to attract more locals if they want to service

Dr Sarath Obeysekera  

Ira de Silva Canada

The Prime Minister of Sri Lanka is giving interviews to foreign news media regarding the bombings on Easter Sunday in Sri Lanka. He tried to tell the world that he did not know that there were warnings given to Sri Lankan authorities prior to the bombings.

To the BBC it was that he was “not in the loop”. This was not acceptable to the interviewer and the Prime Minister then backed down and gave a vague response of the government knowing something. In another interview when he tried to indicate that he did not know, when challenged, he had to backtrack and claimed partial knowledge but would not accept responsibility.

Perhaps he was afraid that the next question to him would have been why he did not resign which would have happened in the country the interviewer came from.

What he did was to re-enforce to the world that Sri Lanka has a government that is dysfunctional, completly oblivious of and uncaring of what is taking place in the country that even when there is such a tragic incident, it does not take the incident seriously and is not taking adequate steps to investigate and stop any further terrorist attacks.

The people of Sri Lanka who are dying because of the governments complacency regarding terrorism do not accept this attitude neither does the outside world.  The Cardinal is correct when he states “even if Parliamentarians and politicians were behind these attacks – directly or indirectly – people expect them to be arrested, questioned and punished if they have any connections”. Sadly, although that is what needs to be done, the people of Sri Lanka know that this government is not capable of thinking in this manner much less acting to stop this terrorrism because of incompetence and political expediency

By ; A.A.M.NIZAM – MATARA

The foreign servile Ranil Wickremesinghe has acknowledged in an interview with Susan Ormisten of the CBC News when he was asked as to why, as prime minister, he did not known about repeated serious warnings, he has  accepted accountability and said: My being aware is separate from the fact that the security system had failed to implement it — some of them didn’t take it seriously (his usual habit of evading responsibility and blaming others) and has shamelessly said that government machinery was faulty and warnings from intelligence agencies were not implemented before the Easter Sunday attacks  

Wickremesinghe said that for the next few days or weeks, he worries most is that one of those individuals may not turn up in surveillance inquiries or isn’t detained before acting independently may commit suicide by blasting himself in public. (an absurf statement and a deliberate attempt to incriminate the dedicated security services personnel who are carrying out a dedicated service round the clock under immense threat to their own life.  Where on earth, the terrorist suspects or potential terrorist voluntarily turns up to get himself subjected to surveillance? It is shame to find this kind of an imbecile functioning as the Prime Minister of our country)”

The interviewer said that Sri Lankan security officials warned lawmakers on 4^th April almost two weeks before the attacks and asked why these warnings were ignored by the government and kept only the Christians of the government inform therebypreventing them getting caught in the carnage? Evading direct response to the question, Mr. Wickremasinghe said that in future they have to put into effective measures to ensure it doesn’t happen again, that information comes to be acted upon.”

 But pressed as to why, as prime minister, he did not know about repeated serious warnings, he accepted accountability and acknowledge  the fact that the government machinery was faulty.

”Sri Lankan Archbishop Cardinal Dr.Malcolm Ranjith criticized top leaders in government for feuding during the crisis. He said that at a time when the whole country has been affected by a major catastrophe, politicians should stop finding fault with each other.

The economic impact of the attacks could cripple the tourism industry — at least for awhile.Sri Lanka’s Tourism Bureau has warned that tourist arrivals in Colombo could drop by 50 per cent over the next two months, and with 30 per cent fewer travellers predicted according to chairman Kishu Gomes

But the prime minister who has ruined the economy of the country for the last 4 years, despite claims made by him and his butterfly cabal (including those holding commercially acquired Doctorates)   that he is an economic wizard, predicted a smaller impact in the long-term. In another bluffing he claimed that Sri Lanka is in its low tourist season now.  If that was true why he ans his butterflies claimed two weeks before that there is a steep increase in high end tourist arrivals?.  

In a photograph published by the CBC News damage from the blast surrounding a statue of St. Jude at St. Sebastian’s Church in Negombo has killed ore than 100 around this statue.

It is shameful and disgusting to note that this sadist Prime Minister has said that there was no significant community backlash causing more violence in the critical first three days after the attacks. It may be one of the reasoms that he was hiding for those three days like his uncle after black        July.   Uttering another blatant lie he has said that it was terrible when the civil war (it was not a civil war but over three decades of terrorist aggression, shamrlessly attempting to distort the truth for which he has gained notoriety) ended in 2009. It   seems that this idiotic Prime Minister edo not know what happened in the country after our gallant soldiers vanquished the terrorists.  19^TH May 2009 was the Deepavali of Sri Lanka in which people of the country devoid of party, colour, religious, and ethnic differences celebrated distributing sweets and kiribath, holding motor vehicle parades and many expressing their gratitude to Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa for ending terrorism by prostrating before him.  He was almost considered as a diety by the people with the song of Maharajanani played in full blast in the background.

Renember Mr. Wickremasinghe that you will never achieve a status like this even if you rule the country for the next 100 yearsand you will only be considered as DDon Juan Dharmapala.

While Ranil Wickremasinghe shamelesslt claim that our intelligence is not capable of dealing with what he calls the globalterrorism and the country needs international spies to face the current situation the former President and the Leader of the Opposition Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa has thanked India for the help in uncovering the extremist plot but has said  that Sri Lanka does not want any foreign forces, like the Indian National Security Guard, on its soil.

“India has been helpful. But there is no need for the NSG to come in. We don’t need foreign soldiers. Our forces are capable enough… We just need to give them powers and freedom,” he has told News18 in an exclusive interview. 

His reaction came after a government official told CNN-News18 that the elite force has been kept on standby if the island nation needed any help. 

The former president, who was involved in a soft coup attempt last year, blasted the government and said both President Maithripala Sirisena, who is also the minister of defense and in charge of national police, and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, who has been kept out of high-level security meetings since Sirisena tried to oust him last fall, were responsible for the series of blasts in which over 300 people were killed on Easter Sunday. 

“They are busy playing politics at the cost of national security. Everyone knew about the growth of radicalism. They were worried about votes and their vote bank and did not act,” Rajapaksa told News18.

News 18 saif that Elections to pick a new president are due between October and December and Rajapaksa has started targeting Sirisena and his Wickremesinghe for failing to preserve the hard-fought peace that he helped to bring by crushing the Tamil Tiger separatists. Although Rajapaksa cannot contest for president again, his brother Gotabaya is ready to make a bid, his aide has said.

India has said that it had shared very specific intelligence inputs about the Islamic State’s plans of the bombings, but the warnings had remained unheeded. 

Top officials have acknowledged that some of the intelligence units were given advance notice about the attacks — starting weeks ago and up until the morning of the bombings — but that little was done to prevent them. 

N 18 ai  that the country’s police chief Pujith Jayasundara and defense secretary Hemasiri Fernando have both have been asked to resign over their failure to prevent the blasts despite having prior intelligence.

In a tweet, PM Wickremesinghe said, “We take collective responsibility and apologize to our fellow citizens for our failure to protect victims of these tragic events.”

Mr. Rajapaksa also dismissed the PM’s view that no action could be taken against citizens who had left to join the Islamic State. “The existing laws are good enough to act against those with terror links,” he argued. 

PM Wickremesinghe said that the government had known that Sri Lankan nationals who had joined the Islamic State had returned to the country, but they could not be arrested as joining a foreign terrorist organization is not against the law.

The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the Easter terror attacks on three Catholic churches and three luxury hotels that claimed over 300 lives but the government has blamed a local Islamist extremist group National Tawheed Jamath (NTJ) for the bombings.

A report published by tr Island said that Archbishop of Colombo Dr.Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith has told the government, in no uncertain terms, that he is utterly displeased with the security measures adopted since the Easter Sunday attacks. He has urged the government to ensure that the armed forces and police went beyond merely acting on tip-offs. He has struck a responsive chord with the public.

The Island said rhat one cannot but endorse the prelate’s call for the government to pull all stops to remove the scourge of terror. Schools and places of worship cannot remain closed for fear of terror attacks an it is the bounden duty of the government to ensure public safety. The country was not crippled in this manner even during the height of war. It is in this predicament because national security did not figure high on the yahapalana agenda. Shaken awake by the Easter Sunday bombings, the government is now running around like a headless chicken. The police and the armed forces have been allowed to do what they should have been ordered to carry out long before the Easter tragedy.

IGP Pujitha Jayasundara has been sent on compulsory leave over the Easter Sunday incidents which the police failed to prevent in spite of intelligence warnings. Secretary of Defence Hemasiri Fernando was made to resign within a few days of the bombings.

Terrorists only have to be lucky once, and their targets have to be lucky always, as the IRA told Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, having failed to kill her. This country suffered a countless number of terror attacks, for nearly three decades, many in the city and its suburbs, while Prabhakaran was around. Thousands of people perished in them. Terrorists killed one President, in 1993, and another came very close to being blown to smithereens, six years later. The Army Headquarters was bombed and the then Army Commander Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka seriously injured. But the Easter Sunday blasts were different in that they could have been averted as the government had been sufficiently warned.

The Islabd report askrf is it only the IGP and the Defence Secretary who should take the blame for security lapse and queried what about the political grandees who did not care to take any action though it was brought to their notice, in Parliament, way back in 2016, that several Sri Lankan families, trained by the ISIS had returned home? When the then Justice Minister Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakse made that revelation, he drew heavy flak from the government MPs themselves,  .

The President and the PM claim they were not aware of the pre-Easter intelligence warning. So does Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa. Try as they might, they won’t be able to dupe the public into taking their claims seriously. The intelligence document, containing the warning, at issue, had been copied to all VVIP security divisions as a leaked image thereof shows. Some members of the Cabinet have admitted they had been aware of the danger well in advance. Are we to conclude that the President, the PM and the Opposition Leader are less informed than others the report asked.  It pointed out that the  PM has claimed that there are no laws to deal with Sri Lankans who have joined foreign terrorist groups. Some legal experts have pooh-poohed this claim, arguing that the existing laws are sufficient for action to be taken against them. Even if there had been a lacuna in the country’s laws, remedial measures should have been adopted as a national priority to arrest the terror suspects concerned. New laws could have been passed immediately.

The reports also pointed out that the 19th Amendment was passed in record time at the behest of the UNP. The FCID (Financial Crimes Investigation Division) was set up almost overnight to deal with the rivals of the yahapalana government, which dragged its feet on matters concerning national security and said that Cardinal Ranjith has proved that he is a much better leader than the self-proclaimed ones who are making a lot of noise in politics. In the immediate aftermath of the terror attacks, he intervened to defuse tension and ensure that the public acted with restraint despite the sheer magnitude of the disaster. He was, of course, assisted by other religious leaders in the noble task.

The Island emphasized let the government be urged to heed the Cardinal’s warning that the people’s patience is wearing thin and their anger might spill over into the streets unless the situation is brought under control and the remaining terrorists brought to justice forthwith.

below is a translation of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) proposals submitted by Mr. Mahinhxda Rajapaksa at the All Party Conference inParliamrnt on 25^th April. (courtesy Lanka CNews)

The Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) extend our gratitude for calling an all party conference to discuss the situation that has arisen following the terrorists on the Easter Sunday and for inviting our party to attend this conference. We hereby submit our proposals relating to the terrorist attacks, the situation that led to these attacks, the after effects of the attacks, about the steps that need to be taken to ensure and strengthen national security and reconciliation among all communities while expressing our whole hearted readiness to extend our unhesitant and fullest cooperation for the future measures.   

Our vision as the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP)

It is our sole expectation to build the modern  Sri Lankan nation in which all Sinhala, Tamil, Muslin, Malay and Burgher could communities could live freely and harmoniously upholding theit cultural identity and with religious and ethnic freedom and reconciliation. All other rights in the human society come only after the right to live. Therefore there can be nothing above the national security. It is only within a secured society that all matters relating to ethnic cooperation and religious reconciliation that take place. The reconciliation remains within the common factor of national security.

But in the recent past an attitude showinh that there is a contradiction between national security and national reconciliation, socialized from top to bottom. This attitude showed the opinion that showing interest on national security is tantamount togo against national reconciliation.

It is like an unscientific expression saying that breathing is injurious to the heart. This condition knowingly or unknowingly and directly or indirectedly contributed to this massive tragedy.

What we urge for is to place the national security in its due place. To give its due place to the national security. To entrust the task of managing the national security to                        qualified professionals.

We did observe a sever collapse in the National Security Council and the in the institutions in charge of national security.  Immediately restructure these institutions on a scientific basis.

It is a well known fact that the State Intelligence services are being subjected to abhorrent suppression.  Due to this factor the State Intelligence services have become ineffective.

We emphatically request to immediately understand the importance of a State Intelligence service for the prevalence of a State and activate the State Intelligence service which has been inactivated.

It is only after proper scientific filtering that information collected becomes usable data

It is not gossips that data collected by a State Intelligence service..  When we analyse the recent events it becomes clear that State Intelligence data has not even received the importance given to a normal goddip.

There is no use of obtaining medicine if you do not consume it.  It is the prime responsibility of those who are in charge to utilize the State Intelligence properly.

The government should immediately analyse on steps to be taken er a national disaster.In this instance civil and leaders and the general public displayed a verty progressive behaviour. They were very much ahead of the responsible authorities. 

At this moment as there is a possibility of creating hatred on Sei Lanka Muslims and a conspiracy to shatter national unity as it was done after Black July it is the bounden duty and responsibility of the government to enhaance security for all communities

We respectfully bow down our heads in gratitude to the neighbours who rushed to assisy and help the victims, the staff of hospitals, officers of the security forces, to all disaster management services . and to the public who came forwatd to provide material and physical help d assistance.    

Sri Lanka Podejana Peramuna (SLPP).  …

(To be copntinued)  .

Ben Silva

The brutal act of terrorism that killed over 250 innocent civilians, by an Islamic terror group is beyond comprehension. During the attack a man lost his wife and two children. Another man lost his three children. The victims were doing peaceful things attending a church or having a meal in a  luxury hotel in our beautiful  island. The victims of the terrorist act were innocent people.  They have done nothing wrong to deserve this barbaric treatment in the hands of Islamic extremists.  It is important to find out the root cause that produced the terrorism. Is it the belief by terrorists  that they should  kill non believers? In my view, all religions are mind viruses that distort the thinking of the believers.

Religions produce NLP processes that affect the minds of persons. Some processes are therapeutic and produce a peaceful mind whilst others produce a hateful mind that produces violence. Media reports allege that 400 NTJ mosques have been allowed to be built in Sri Lanka; when not even 1 temple is allowed to be built in Arab countries. These mosque constructions would bring about serious instability to Sri Lanka. The policies of this Govt.  could destroy  Sinhala Buddhists in Sri Lanka.

Ref: http://www.adaderana.lk/news/54760/dayasiri-alleges-muslim-affairs-minister-allowed-construction-of-400-ntj-mosques

 Why is so much apathy amongst the Sinhalese?

There may be a need to integrate Muslims to the mainstream Sri Lankan society. Further, isolated Muslim educational establishments should not be allowed due to the potential for brainwashing of children.

In my view no innocent human, whatever the ethnicity or religion should be  harmed or killed.

If we look at the situation around the world, we can see Islam followers of various flavors, kill each other and treat others in an uncivilized brutal manner. Around the world, Muslims have killed non Muslims including Hindus, Buddhists and Christians. I do not think this sort of violence and uncivilised conduct should be allowed in the modern world.

The Yahapalanaya comedians have produced the biggest banking scan known and one of the biggest terrorist attacks during their watch. How did the people manage to appoint the alleged Batalanda mass  killer of brave Sinhala youth as the PM ? The damage done to the economy by the terrorists  is so huge that the government should have resigned.

 In the past, Muslim invaders from Turkey invaded countries from Afghanistan to Indonesia, killed non Muslims, mainly Buddhists and converted people to followers of Islam. Famous merciless killing of Buddhists took place at Nalanda, India. Buddhism did not recover in India, after the Nalanda debacle. Note that countries from Afghanistan to India and even Maldives were formerly Buddhist countries. It appears that there is a violent gene in Islam. Further it appears that there is no hope for passive Nirvana seeking Buddhists unless they become aware of internal and external threats. There should be an organization to  protect the  interests of the Sinhala people.

There are certain groups in Sri Lanka that follow Islam, an ancient foreign medieval religion that has teachings of violence.   I am not sure if those that believe  in non violence, Buddhists,  can survive, specially if the Buddhists  want to live in the past and are not prepared to change according to the present day conditions. The evidence is that, being a passive Buddhist, seeking Nirvana, does not help in the survival process.

It is generally known that some madrases in various countries are breeding grounds for Islamic extremists. It is reported that the biggest Sharia University, in East Asia, is to be constructed in the East of Sri Lanka. What is the reason for this ? Why can’t the University be based in Bangladesh or Malaysia? Could it be that the aim is to destabilize Sri Lanka and convert Sri Lanka to a Muslim country ?  Buddhist leaders such as the Mahanayakes appear to be in the dark and inactive related to this proposed Sharia University in the East, Is it due to an intelligence failure?

If Sinhala Buddhists are to survive in a hostile environment, then they need to learn business and other skills needed to survive in a highly competitive, materialistic global world.

It is reported that the mastermind of the recent terror attacks studied at a local Arabic College. I believe all religious educational establishments must be monitored to ensure that dangerous material is not taught. The potential Wahabi Sharia University is a serious threat to Sri Lanka and it’s construction should be halted. Sinhala people should stand up and be counted.

For the stability of Sri Lanka population growth amongst various groups need to be monitored

Most Muslim countries do not allow temples to be constructed in their countries. Muslim countries usually do not even allow Buddhist statues into their countries. The construction of an Islamic   University is extremely dangerous as it could breed Islamic fundamentalists. Why do we allow hostile foreign bases to be established in Sri Lanka, when Buddhists are not even allowed to construct a peaceful temple in Muslim countries ?

Islamists also practice stoning people to death and cutting people’s arms. These are  barbaric practices and  are not suitable for a civilized Buddhist country such as Sri Lanka.

Sri Lankan’s also need to be aware of serious problems related to climate change, deforestation and  uncontrolled population growth.

I repeat hate crimes should not take place and not a single  peace loving Muslim be harmed or killed. Any disputes should be settled through dialogue, discussion and debate and not using violence.

Ben Silva

Mohammed Rasooldeen- Justice of the Peace Media Secretary Western Province Governor’s Office

අතිගරු ජනාධිපති මෛත්‍රීපාල සිරිසේන මැතිතුමා විසින් හදිසි නීතිය යටතේ සදුදා දින සිට වහාම ක්‍රියාත්මකවක පරිදි මුහුණූ ආවරණය සම්බන්ධයෙන් පනවන ලද තහනම තරයේ පිළිපදින ලෙස බස්නාහිර පළාත් ආණ්ඩුකාරතුමා විසින් මුස්ලිම් පාසල් ප්‍රධානීන්ගෙන් ඉල්ලා සිටින ලදී.

පසුගිය සදුදා දින බස්නාහිර පළාත් ආණ්ඩුකාරවර කාර්යයාලයේදී මුස්ලිම් පාසල් 59 යක විදුහල්පත්වරුන් අමතා ගරු ආණ්ඩුකාරතුමා මේ බව ප්‍රකාශ කර සිටියේය.

විදේශිකයින් 40 දෙදෙනකුද ඇතුළුව පුද්ගලයින් 268 දෙදෙනකු ඝාතනය කරමින් පසුගිය පාස්කු ඉරු දින එල්ල කරන ලද බෝම්බ ප්‍රහාරය හේතුවෙන් අතිගරු ජනාධිපතිතුමා විසින් මුහුණු ආවරණය සම්බන්ධයෙන් තහනම පනවන ලද බව ගරු ආණ්ඩුකාරතුමා පහදා සිටියේය.

මෙම නීතියේ ඇති වැදගත්කම අවධාරණය කළ ගරු ආණ්ඩුකාරතුමා පවසා සිටියේ මෙම නීතිය යටතේ මෝටර්සයිකල්කරුවන් හටද සම්පූර්ණ පරිදි මුහුණු ආවරණය වන හිස්වැසුම් පැලදීය නොහැකි බවයි. නීතිය ක්‍රීයාත්මක කරන නිළධාරීන් සඳහා පුද්ගලයින් පහසුවෙන් හදුනාගැනීමට මෙන්ම ඔවුන්ගේ ජාතික හැදුනුම්පත් සමඟ එම පුද්ගලයින්ගේ අනන්‍යතාවය තහවුරු මෙම නීතිය බලය ලබාදෙයි. ජනාධිපතිතුමා විසින් මෙම නීතිය පැනවීමටත් පෙර ජමියාතුල් උලමා සංවිධානය විසින් මේ සම්බන්ධයෙන් පුර්ව දැනුවත් කිරීම් සිදුකර ඇත.

පාසල්වලට ඇතුල්වන සිසුන්ගේ සහ දෙමාපින්ගේ මුහුණු ආවරණයට ඉඩලබා නොදෙන ලෙස මීට දින දෙකකට පමණ පෙර ගරු ආණ්ඩුකාරතුමා විසින් සිදු කල ප්‍රකාශය ද මතක් කරමින් එතුමා පවසා සිටියේ  අතිගරු ජනාධිපතිවරයා විසින් සියළුම පාසල්වලට අදාල වන පරිදි ජාතික මට්ටමින් නීතියක් ඇති කරනු ඇති බවයි.

පාසල් තුල මුහුණු ආවරණය කරන සිසුන් මෙන්ම ගුරුවරුන්ද සිටින බවත් මෙම නීතිය ක්‍රීයාත්මක කිරීම සඳහා ඔවුන් සහාය ලබා  දෙනු ඇති බවත් ගරු ආණ්ඩුකාරතුමාගේ කථාවට පිළිතුරු ලෙස විදුහල්පතිවරු පැවසූහ.

 ආරක්ෂක විධිවිධාන සම්බන්ධයෙන් විදුහල්පතිවරුන් බොහෝමක් පැමිණිලිකර සිටියේ දිවා රාත්‍රී කාලවල පාසල් දේපල ආරක්ෂා කිරීම සඳහා මුරකරුවන් නොමැති බවයි. ඇතැම් පාසල් වල තාප්පද නොමැත.