Violence continues in Sri Lanka despite emergency decree

Sri Lanka has imposed a nationwide state of emergency for the first time since the civil war era in response to days of violent unrest between Sinhalese and Muslim communities. The special measures permitting soldiers to be deployed in civilian areas will initially apply for 10 days at which point the deployment would need to be ratified by parliament said Mano Ganesan the Sri Lankan minister for co-existence. There were concerns that communal violence would spread Ganesan told the Guardian. We don t want to spread communal disharmony and hate speech. Arson attacks and riots have hit the central district of Kandy in recent days and there was similar violence in late February when mobs set fire to Muslim-owned businesses and a mosque in the east. The violence in Kandy is understood to have been sparked when a group of Muslim men in Digana town were accused of killing a man belonging to the majority Sinhala Buddhist community who make up about 75% of the population. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Sri Lanka s army soldiers remove the debris of a vandalized building in Digana a suburb of Kandy. Photograph: Pradeep Pathiran/AP Muslim-owned shops were set alight in response and the violence spiralled out of control after monks from hardline Buddhist groups with a history of inciting violence in the past travelled to the town to negotiate the release of the accused men. When they failed to do so more fires were lit dozens of people were arrested and a curfew was imposed in two towns in the district. On Tuesday morning the body of a 24-year-old man was pulled from one of the houses set on fire the previous day. His funeral was scheduled for Tuesday afternoon. The Sri Lankan prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said on Monday the violence in the town appeared to be systemic and organised and promised the government would take stern action. Ranil Wickremesinghe (@RW_UNP) As a nation that endured a brutal war we are all aware of the values of peace respect unity & freedom. The Govt condemns the racist & violent acts that have http://programmermeetdesigner.com/user/profile/arfplayer/ taken place over the last few days. A state of emergency has been declared & we will not hesitate to take further action. March 6 2018 The Indian Ocean island nation has been trying to rebuild its tourism industry after a devastating 28-year-civil war between the government and Tamil separatists in the north. The last state of emergency in place throughout the war was allowed to lapse in November 2011. Ganesan said the fresh state of emergency also widened police powers to detain suspects. Tensions between Muslims who make up about 10% of the population and the majority Sinhala Buddhist community have existed for decades but have become more acute since the end of the civil war. Sinhala Buddhist mobs rampaged through southern coastal towns including Aluthgama in 2014 after reports that a Muslim man had attacked a Buddhist monk in the area. Alan Keenan a Sri Lanka specialist with the International Crisis Group said radical Buddhist groups had been attacking Muslims with a significant degree of regularity since 2012 and especially since last April. One of the key underlying elements is the sense that many Sinhalese and Buddhists have is that Sri Lanka is a Sinhalese and Buddhist island and other community Muslims and Tamils are here on the sufferance of the majority he said. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Sri Lanka s army soldiers stand guard a road after clashes. Photograph: Reuters Keenan said the previous president the staunch Sinhala nationalist Mahinda Rajapaksa had condoned instances of anti-Muslim violence and hate speech. The renewed violence in past months could be related to the growing strength of Rajapaksa s opposition movement he added. Last month Rajapaksa s party swept to victory in municipal elections in the country in his strongest electoral performance since he was defeated in the 2015 presidential elections. Many have argued that it the inter-communal violence is a product of the search for a new enemy to replace the Tamils unite the Sinhala and win votes by cultivating a sense of Sinhala Buddhists under siege Keenan said. This is a small number of Sinhala Buddhists playing on more widely held fears and myths and concerns. Amnesty International called for Sri Lankan authorities to end the impunity for hardline Buddhist groups accused of inciting or carrying out violence. The failure to hold to take action against these groups has only emboldened them further and plunged minorities in a deeper state of fear said Dinushika Dissanayake the group s deputy south Asia director. Topics Sri Lanka South and Central Asia news Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share via Email Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Google Share on WhatsApp Share on Messenger Reuse this content
Photo Sri Lankan soldiers and police officers outside a vandalized building in Digana a suburb of Kandy on Tuesday after mob attacks there. Credit Pradeep Pathiran/Associated Press COLOMBO Sri Lanka Sri Lanka s government imposed a nationwide state of emergency on Tuesday after mob attacks against the minority Muslim population in a central district violence that has highlighted the country s fragility as it tries to recover from decades of civil war.The unrest in the district of Kandy began on Sunday as angry mobs made up of the majority Sinhalese ethnic group attacked dozens of Muslim businesses and houses and at least one mosque. At least one person was killed. Hundreds of security personnel including special forces were deployed to Kandy on Monday and a curfew was declared there.Officials feared that the death of a 27-year-old man who was trapped inside a burning house and who described the attack on the building in an audio recording could provoke violence across the country. Kandy communal violence Video by Colombo Gazette We have decided to declare a state of emergency to ensure these clashes and tensions don t spread elsewhere in the country said Dayasiri Jayasekera a government spokesman. Advertisement Continue reading the main story Mr. Jayasekera said the state of emergency would last 10 days and that law enforcement would also act against all communal hate speech posts on social media. Continue reading the main story
Written by Devendra Pandey | Colombo | Updated: March 7 2018 8:48 am India and Sri Lanka play the 1st T20I in Colombo. (AP Photo) ON TUESDAY the Sri Lankan government imposed a state of emergency for ten days following communal violence in Kandy. But at the R Premadasa Stadium in the heart of Colombo it was cricket as usual. With the tri-nation T20 series involving India Sri Lanka and Bangladesh unfolding Monday office-goers at the World Trade Center walked out to have a meal and auto-rickshaw drivers queued up for their next passenger of the day. The Sri Lankan government s move came following days of unrest in Kandy after a Buddhist man was killed and Muslim-owned businesses were set ablaze. Though the state of emergency imposed did not affect the city of Colombo which is 130-odd km from Kandy the news Tuesday had families of Indian cricketers worried at home in India. The BCCI even spoke to the Indian team management and was also briefed by the security cover of the Indian team who believed Colombo would remain unaffected. While most Indian team members knew little of the political development some got messages from family members but no one was sure whether the emergency extended to the entire country or was just restricted to Kandy. In the end most players decided to take an afternoon nap before boarding the team bus to the stadium at 5 pm. At the team hotel an Indian group attending a seminar were busy taking photos and then there were two Sri Lankan fans Gyana Senanayake and his partner Mohamed Nilam who waited for match tickets promised by Indian captain Rohit Sharma. The two Sri Lankan fans who are close to the Indian team had fans of their own too. A group of ladies from England even took selfies with them. Nothing will happen here don t worry. The match is on and my tension is doubled. I m yet to get tickets see how many calls I am getting. I need ten tickets and Rohit has promised to give few. I m waiting for him to come said Nilam a well known Sri Lankan fan of Rohit. These games are emergency time; everyone calling you see. By afternoon the BCCI has issued a statement that allayed any residual concerns. There have been reports of curfew and an emergency being called in Sri Lanka. The situation in picture is Kandy and not Colombo. This is to notify everyone that after talking to concerned security personnel (Ministerial security division in charge of team security) we have understood that the situation is completely normal in Colombo. If at all there is any update on the same we shall notify. At the R Premadasa Stadium the venue of the first T20 International between India and the hosts the worry was the weekday slow-moving traffic. An English couple were not worried about the situation. There are things which happened shouldn t have happened. Don t worry everything will be fine. Things are good here you don t worry. You worry about your team who have come here with fringe players said Englishman Stephen Williams. For all the latest Sports News download Indian Express App Tags: Nidahas Trophy 2018 No Comments.
Sri Lanka has declared a state of emergency following a dramatic increase in violence against Muslims in Kandy a town popular with tourists. The Foreign Office has said that while there will be an increased military presence on the streets it is not necessary to avoid travelling to the area. Here is The Independent s Travel Correspondent Simon Calder s advice for those heading to the country. Read more Sri Lanka declares state of emergency over Buddhist-Muslim violence President Maithripala Sirisena said the declaration would empower the country s armed forces and police to respond to clashes. The state of emergency will be in place for an initial ten days a government spokesman said. Following an emergency cabinet meeting it was decided that special measures would be enforced to prevent the spread of communal riots . While the specific details of the state of emergency remain unclear government spokesman Dayasiri Jayasekara hinted that it could include a temporary crackdown on the use of social media. World news in pictures 51 show all World news in pictures 1/51 6 March 2018 Sri Lanka s army soldiers and police personnel stand near a vandalised building in Digana a suburb of Kandy. Extremists Buddhist mobs swept through the town on Monday burning at least 11 Muslim owned shops and homes. Sri Lanka s president declared a state of emergency Tuesday amid fears that anti-Muslim attacks in the central hill town could spread AP 2/51 5 March 2018 Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives for the opening of the first session of the 13th National People s Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. The NPC has over 3 000 delegates and is the world s largest parliament or legislative assembly though its function is largely as a formal seal of approval for the policies fixed by the leaders of the Chinese Communist Party. The NPC runs alongside the annual plenary meetings of the Chinese People s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) together known as Lianghui or Two Meetings . EPA 3/51 4 March 2018 Female protestor stands up with the words Berlusconi Sei Scaduto written on her body translating as Berlusconi you ve expired as Silvio Berlusconi stands during voting of the political and regional elections in Milan Italy. Rex 4/51 3 March 2018 Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a speech during a rally to support his bid in the upcoming presidential election at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow. Reuters 5/51 2 March 2018 A light turns red outside of Germany s Krupp Mannesmann steel factory. German officials and industry groups warned U.S. President Donald Trump that he risks sparking a trade war with his closest allies if he goes ahead with plans to impose steep tariffs on steel and aluminium imports. AP 6/51 1 March 2018 People dance during Holi festival celebrations in Kathmandu Nepal. EPA 7/51 28 February 2018 Indian fans watch as the funeral procession of the late Bollywood actress Sridevi Kapoor passes through Mumbai. AFP/Getty 8/51 27 February 2018 Candles are left in tribute to murdered Slovakian investigative reporter Jan Kuciak 27 and his fiancee Martina 27 at Slovak National Uprising Square in Bratislava. A leading Slovak newspaper says organised crime may have been involved in the shooting death that shocked Slovakia. The bodies of Kuciak and Kusnirova were found Sunday evening in their house in the town of Velka Maca east of the capital. AP 9/51 26 February 2018 Colosseum during a heavy snowfall in Rome Italy. REUTERS/Alberto Lingria 10/51 25 February 2018 Family members of victims of the sunken South Korean naval ship Cheonan by a North Korean attack hold up defaced portraits of Kim Yong Chol vice chairman of North Korea s ruling Workers Party Central Committee during a rally against his visit near the Unification bridge in Paju South Korea. A North Korean high-level delegation led by Kim arrived to attend the closing ceremony of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. The signs read: Let s punish Kim Young Chol. Getty 11/51 24 February 2018 Ivanka Trump (C) cheers while sat between former Olympic US bobsledders Shauna Rohbock (L) and Valerie Fleming (R) as the United States beat Sweden in their Men s Gold Medal Curling match at the Gangneung Curling Centre in Gangneung South Korea. Ivanka Trump is on a four-day visit to South Korea to attend the closing ceremony of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics. Getty 12/51 23 February 2018 David Allen Turpin (C) who along with Louise Anna Turpin is accused of abusing and holding 13 of their children captive appears in court with attorneys David Macher (L) and Alison Lowe in court in Riverside California. According to Riverside County Sheriffs David Allen Turpin and Louise Anna Turpin held 13 malnourished children ranging in age from 2 to 29 captive in their Perris California home. Deputies were alerted after a 17-year-old daughter escaped by jumping through a window shortly before dawn carrying a de-activated mobile phone from which she was able to call 911 for help. Responding deputies described conditions in the home as foul-smelling with some kids chained to a bed and suffering injuries as a result. Adult children appeared at first to be minors because of their malnourished state. The Turpins were arrested on charges of torture and child endangerment. Getty 13/51 22 February 2018 The Elephanta Island home to the famous Elephanta Caves finally gets electricity after a wait of 70 years. Seventy years after Independence a 7.5-km long undersea cable has finally brought electricity to the world-famous Gharapuri Isle which houses the UNESCO World Heritage site Elephanta Caves about 10-km from Mumbai India. Getty 14/51 21 February 2018 Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pays his respects at the Sikh Golden Temple in Amritsar. Trudeau and his family are on a week-long official trip to India. Getty 15/51 20 February 2018 Members of the Syrian civil defence evacuate an injured civilian on a stretcher from an area hit by a reported regime air strike in the rebel-held town of Saqba in the besieged Eastern Ghouta region on the outskirts of the capital Damascus. AFP/Getty 16/51 19 February 2018 A Thai Navy instructor demonstrates how to catch a snake during a jungle survival exercise as part of the Cobra Gold 2018 (CG18) joint military exercise with US soldiers at a military base in Chonburi province Thailand. Reuters 17/51 18 February 2018 Children play outside their destroyed school in the Frikeh village in Idlib north-western Syria 18/51 17 February 2018 A pro-Kurd demonstrator attends a protest demanding the release of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan in Strasbourg France 19/51 16 February 2018 Joe Zevuloni mourns in front of a cross placed in a park to commemorate the victims of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland Florida Reuters 20/51 15 February 2018 South Africa s new president Cyril Ramaphosa holds up his right hand as he is sworn into office AFP/Getty 21/51 14 February 2018 The African National Congress s (ANC) treasurer general Paul Mashatile (left) and parliamentary chief whip Jackson Mthembu address a media briefing after an emergency ANC caucus meeting on 14 February in Cape Town. South Africa s parliament will hold a vote of no-confidence in President Jacob Zuma on 15 February the ruling ANC party said signalling its determination to eject him from office after days of stalemate AFP 22/51 13 February 2018 North Korean cheerleaders are surrounded by media as they attempt to walk on Gyeongpo beach in Gangneung South Korea AFP/Getty 23/51 12 February 2018 Former US President Barack Obama unveils his portrait at the Smithsonian s National Portrait Gallery in Washington DC AFP/Getty 24/51 9 February 2018 US Vice President Mike Pence and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un s sister Kim Yo-Jong attend the opening ceremony of the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games AFP/Getty 25/51 8 February 2018 Bangladesh police charge towards activists of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party protesting following a verdict against opposition leader Khaleda Zia in Dhaka. The ex-Prime Minister of Bangladesh was jailed for five years on corruption charges. AFP/Getty 26/51 7 February 2018 Rescue services search for people in a damaged building in eastern Taiwan after a magnitude 6.4 earthquake hit Hualien on the night of 6 February 2018. Media reports said several buildings were damaged and at least four people were killed and some 100 were injured during the quake. Teams are trying to rescue people inside the buildings. Some bridges and roads are damaged and the main road to Hualien is closed. More than 100 earthquakes have hit off Taiwan s east coast in the past three days. The Seismological Observation Center said they are cuased by the friction between the Philipine Plate and Eurasian Plate. EPA 27/51 6 February 2018 Anti-North Korean protesters push against police as a ferry carrying a North Korean art troupe for the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games approaches the port of Mukho in Donghae. Around 120 North Korean art performers in matching red coats and fur hats left for the South its state media said on February 6 the latest in the flurry of cross-border exchanges in the run-up to the Pyeongchang Olympics. AFP/Getty 28/51 5 February 2018 Philadelphia Eagles Nick Foles celebrates with the Vince Lombardi Trophy after winning Super Bowl LII. Reuters 29/51 4 February 2018 Authorities investigate the scene of a fatal Amtrak train crash in Cayce South Carolina. At least two were killed and dozens injured. The State via AP 30/51 3 February 2018 Members of security services react as a man in the crowd tries to shake hands with French President Emmanuel Macron who walks next to Senegalese President Macky Sall in a street of Saint-Louis Senegal. Reuters 31/51 2 February 2018 County Sheriffs restrain Randall Margraves the father of three daughters who were abused by Larry Nassar after he tried to attack the former team USA Gymnastics doctor who pleaded guilty in November 2017 to sexual assault charges during victim statements of his sentencing in the Eaton County Circuit Court in Charlotte Michigan. REUTERS 32/51 1 February 2018 Abu Rabih 65 walks through the rubble with his eight-year-old grandson Yahya following air strikes by regime forces which hit the building where they live in Arbin in the rebel-held Eastern Ghouta region on the outskirts of the Syrian capital Damascus. Arbin is in the Eastern Ghouta region which has been under government siege since 2013. AFP/Getty Images 33/51 31 January 2018 A Supermoon shines its blood red colors during a full eclipse above the Big A Sign of Angel Stadium in Anaheim California. A Supermoon commonly is described as a full moon at its closest distance to the earth with the moon appearing larger and brighter than usual. EPA 34/51 30 January 2018 A man wears a mask among fellow supporters as Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga (not pictured) takes a symbolic presidential oath of office in Nairobi. Reuters 35/51 29 January 2018 Tractors are parked outside a meeting of European Union agriculture ministers during a protest by Belgian farmers in Brussels. Reuters 36/51 28 January 2018 Bruno Mars accepts Record of the Year for 24K Magic with his production team onstage during the 60th Annual GRAMMY Awards at Madison Square Garden in New York. Getty Images for NARAS 37/51 27 January 2018 Students with torches gather prior to a march in celebration of the 165th birth anniversary of Cuba s independence hero Jose Marti in Havana. Reuters 38/51 26 January 2018 A firefighter inspects a burnt hospital after a fire in Miryang South Korea. 37 people were killed in the fire with the number of casualties likely to rise further. Kyungnam Shinmun via Getty 39/51 25 January 2018 Rescue workers and police officers stand near derailed trains in Pioltello on the outskirts of Milan. Reuters 40/51 24 January 2018 Afghan police officers take position during a blast and gun fire in Jalalabad Afghanistan. Reuters 41/51 23 January 2018 Workers clean the beach of the coastal town of Zouk Mosbeh north of Beirut as garbage washed up and piled along the shore after stormy weather. AFP/Getty 42/51 22 January 2018 A Free Syrian Army soldier takes a selfie as fighters join up with Turkish troops near the Syrian border at Hassa Hatay province. Turkey shelled Kurdish militia targets in Syria and claimed progress in a cross-border offensive that has stoked concern among its allies and neighbours. 43/51 21 January 2018 Palestinians take part in a protest against aid cut outside the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) office in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. Reuters 44/51 20 January 2018 Oscar Janicki 6 participates in the Second Annual Women s March in Philadelphia. Reuters 45/51 19 January 2018 Russian President Vladimir Putin bathes in an ice-cold water on Epiphany near St. Nilus Stolobensky Monastery on Lake Seliger in Svetlitsa village Russia. Thousands of Russian Orthodox Church followers will plunge into icy rivers and ponds across the country to mark Epiphany cleansing themselves with water deemed holy for the day. Sputnik Kremlin Pool Photo via AP 46/51 18 January 2018 People protest to call for a new DREAM Act to replace DACA in Los Angeles California. Reuters 47/51 17 January 2018 Pro-democracy activists Raphael Wong and Joshua Wong arrive at Lai Chi Kok Reception Centre after they were jailed on protest related charges following their sentencing at the High Court in Hong Kong. AFP/Getty 48/51 16 January 2018 Skyscrapers Oriental Pearl Tower and Jin Mao Tower (L) are seen from the Shanghai World Financial Center on a hazy day in the financial district of Pudong in Shanghai China. Reuters 49/51 15 January 2018 Martin Luther King III US Secretary of the Interior and others wait to place a wreath during an event at the Martin Luther King Memorial on the National Mall. AFP/Getty 50/51 14 January 2018 A boy stands with women loyal to the Houthi movement during a gathering held to show their support to the movement in Sanaa Yemen. Reuters 51/51 13 January 2018 Diego Martin Duplessis of Argentina drives his Honda during the 2018 Peru-Bolivia-Argentina Dakar rally 40th edition stage seven La Paz to Uyuni. Reuters He said some people had been instigating violence on Facebook and warned they faced serious repercussions. More about: Travel Sri Lanka Simon Calder Tourism Reuse content