http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/insidestory/2014/06/who-behind-sri-lanka-religious-violence-2014617174319873584.html
Tensions are running high in the Democratic Socialist Republic after the worst acts of religious violence in decades.Inside StoryLast updated: 17 Jun 2014 22:31
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The Sri Lankan government has imposed an indefinite curfew in a popular tourist area after a group of Buddhists killed three muslims and injured dozens of others. President Mahinda Rajapakse's government is accused of doing little to prevent this latest violence. It is said to have encouraged the rise of the Bodu Bana Sena, the group at the heart of the latest crisis. Rajapakse has denied any link to the group. The latest unrest came weeks after Muslim legislators asked President Rajapakse to protect their minority community from what they described as Buddhist extremist elements, blamed for a recent spate of attacks. Muslims make up about 10 percent of Sri Lanka’s 20 million population. So, will further violence be averted? Or could Sri Lanka slip into another civil war? http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/insidestory/2014/06/who-behind-sri-lanka-religious-violence-2014617174319873584.html Presenter: Hazem Sika.
Guests: Rauf Hakeem, Sri Lankan justice minister. Alan Keenan, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group. Dilanthe Withanage, founding executive committee member of Bodu Bala Sena. |
Source:
Al Jazeera
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http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/inpictures/2014/06/pictures-sri-lanka-hit-religio-2014617112053394816.html
Aluthgama, Sri Lanka - Riots by Sinhala Buddhist mobs targeting the Muslim population have swept through Sri Lanka's southern coastal towns of Beruwala and Aluthgama. An alleged assault by a Muslim youth on a Buddhist monk on Thursday resulted in the Sinhala Buddhist nationalist group, the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS), demonstrating against the Muslim population of Aluthgama on Sunday. In two days of rioting and looting four people have been killed, including a Tamil security guard, and 80 others injured, the majority being from the Muslim community. Over 60 homes and businesses were set on fire in the two days while several mosques were also damaged. The police were unable to control the mobs who numbered in the thousands, according to eyewitness reports. Eventually the military was called in to restore order. The towns, which were once tourist attractions, are now under the blanket of a military curfew with many Muslim residents fearing to return to their homes. Sinhala Buddhist families in the area have taken to marking their homes with the Buddhist flag in an attempt to ensure they are not caught up in attacks. Follow Dinouk Colombage on Twitter: @dinoukc |
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