Religious conflict: Special police unit won’t succeed without govt. backing – Bathiudeen
Industry and Commerce Minister Rishad Bathiudeen yesterday said that the country would have to pay a very heavy price for the failure on the part of the authorities concerned to rein in Bodu Bala Sena (BBS).
An irate Bathiudeen asserted that the police wouldn’t find it easy to control the situation unless the government threw its full weight behind law enforcement authorities. The minister was responding to a presidential directive to set up a special police unit to tackle religious conflicts in the wake of BBS storming Bathiudeen’s ministry at No 73/1, Galle Road, Colombo 3.
The President made the announcement last Thursday.
The Police headquarters said yesterday that the new unit would become operational today.
The Vanni District parliamentarian, who is also the leader of All Ceylon Makkal Congress (ACMC) accused the BBS of working overtime to justify some of the allegations propagated by Western powers targeting Sri Lanka. Had BBS leadership studied the US-led resolution passed at the recently concluded Geneva-based UNHRC session, it wouldn’t have caused religious turmoil in the country.
The government should realise that Sri Lanka would come up for discussion again next September at the UNHRC.
ACMC leader said that the police, too, were obviously in a dilemma due to high handed actions of BBS members. As BBS members had humiliated the police on many occasions, setting up of a new police unit alone wouldn’t be enough to restore confidence among the Muslim community as well as others at the receiving end of BBS harassment, the minister said.
Asked whether he would seek a meeting with President Rajapaksa to brief him on the situation, the minister said that the President was on record as having said that he would separately meet various parties to the conflict.The minister insisted that the government would have to take tangible action to prevent BBS from targeting not only the Muslim community but those taking a different view. Nothing could be as humiliating as Mahiyangana Pradeshiya Sabha member, Ven. Watareka Vijitha being forced to run into Pradeshiya Sabha building under police protection due to the intimidating presence of BBS members.
(The Island)
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Minister Bathiudeen,Just a simple question to you.Why “Muslims”have problems all over world( including in Muslim World).
The problem is rise of militant Islam through Jihadists all over the world to impose their Islam on all and their stupid sharia law, which denies women’s rights and education for female children. We must condemn Islamism in SL with all our might. Though I am a Roman Catholic I am 100% behind BBS, to preserve our Buddhist culture and peace. Now that LTTE has been totally destroyed the Jihadists in SL are linking with them to suppress Buddhism and Sinhalese nation. Have they forgotten how the evil LTTE decimated the Muslims while at prayer in their mosques and how they were ejected from the North and the East with all their money and jewellery stolen?
Radical Islam is sweeping the world. We have to fight it all over the world including in SL.
Let more and more join BBS to fight and evict these Jihadists. Let SL not be duped by the lure of money from Arab countries.
I am glad the Hon President had the illegal village in Wilpattu Jungle destroyed and the muslims relocated. It seems all over the island these Muslims are setting up their own villages and townships exclusively for themselves. That is not right. We are anot against Islam or Muslims but against their radicalism and exclusivity instead of living in peace with fellow citizens of other cultures.
as u said LTTE attacked innocent muslims n mosques we never forget those, but they paid for it, see how the muslim refugees living safely now in sl? those would happen when the time comes, right. BBS are kind of biscuit powders for us. you people live cinematic life in this world but obviously we are working hard for real world.
Nicholas,
I am a Christian. I do not go to church. I believe that if you do not do any harm to any one and help any one who needs help regardless of religion or race then that is good enough for me.
I do agree with you that the Buddhists have the right to fight to keep away the radicals Muslims and Christians.
But don’t you think the BBS act radical most of the time. THey are acting like thugs most of the time and it is almost like the radical muslim killing people in the name of islam. I think the first thing the BBS must do is find a way to stop SRi Lankans drinking so much. I am quite sure that statistics will show that our country is very high on the scale when it comes to the amount of alcohol our people consume.