Sri Lankan police said on Thursday, there was no evidence that the the Buddhist monk group Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) had expressed hate speech, reports Colombo Page . According to the police spokesperson, the investigation into the BBS Secretary, Galagadaaththe Gnanasara Thero, yielded no evidence that the Buddhist leader had been involved in inciting anti-Muslim violence in Aluthgama.
Over 7 acres of public land including the premises of a hospital in the North-Eastern region of Pudhukudiyiruppu, will be seized by the Sri Lankan military, reports the Uthayan . The military made the announcement to extend a military camp using the appropriate land despite the hospital and 19 other land owners providing documents of the land ownership.
The United States on Wednesday welcomed the appointment of the “distinguished experts” as advisors to the OHCHR investigation panel by the High Commissioner Navi Pillay. During a press briefing at the State Department , spokesperson Marie Harf told reporters that the US urges Sri Lanka to cooperate fully with the OHCHR and to take meaningful steps towards accountability and justice, offering US assistance on these issues.
The Sri Lankan government has allocated Rs 200mn to repair buildings damaged during anti-Muslim violence by Sinhala mobs, Rs 150mn of which will be given to the Sri Lankan Army, reported the Daily Mirror . Sri Lanka’s resettlement minister Gunaratne Weerakoon told a meeting in Kalutura today that several buildings in Beruwala, Kalutara, Matugama and Bentota divisions had been damaged in the incidents and that the security forces personnel would be deployed to repair them.
Switzerland's ambassador, Thomas Litscher, was told of on-going land grabs by the Sri Lankan army, militarisation and the undermining of the powers of the Northern Provincial Council during his visit to Jaffna this week where he met with the chair, CV Sivagnanam, as well as Tamil civil society activists. "I have also stressed about the Vali North [resettlement] issue, and that 24 village divisions of people have not yet been resettled due to their lands being declared as High Security Zones," the Uthayan quoted Sivagnanam as saying after his meeting. He added, "I also explained that the military presence has increased in Vanni region, and [the military] have acquired the majority of lands in the area in the meantime."
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa urged the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to secure the release of 64 fishermen currently in Sri Lankan custody on Tuesday, as 11 more fishermen being detained by the Sri Lankan Navy on Monday, reports the Times of India . Forty-six fishermen were arrested last Wednesday by the Sri Lankan Navy, whilst another seven were arrested the following day. In her latest letter to Modi, Jayalalithaa called for a permanent solution, arguing that such a solution "lies only in [the] retrieval of Katchatheevu island". "Until such time, the Union government must impress upon the Sri Lankan government to abstain from attacks on and abduction of our innocent fishermen on the high seas in the Palk Bay. Further, the joint mechanisms which are designed to ensure the speedy release of apprehended fishermen should be effectively activated," she wrote.
Former Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumarathunga called on Tuesday for an "impartial inquiry" into the recent anti-Muslim violence by Buddhist groups, expressing concern about the failure of law enforcement agencies to bring those responsible to account, reported Colombo Gazette . “I am appalled by initial reports that the violence seems orchestrated and followed a public meeting and a provocative march by violent extremists who pursue their narrow personal goals, in the name of Buddhism. It is a matter of great concern that the law enforcement authorities have failed to deal with the hate mongering and blatant violation of the Law for nearly 18 months," she said, calling on the government "to institute an impartial inquiry into the incidents without delay and to direct the law enforcement authorities to take strict legal action against the instigators and perpetrators of this savage violence." Mrs Kumarathunge, president of Sri Lanka from 1994 till 2005, faced extensive criticism by international human rights group for impunity and injustice over numerous incidents killings of Tamils by state forces during her long term in office.
The editor of the Daily News, a paper owned by the Sri Lankan state, has called for the arrest of Al Jazeera journalist Dinouk Colombage, for his coverage of recent violence by Sinhalese against Muslims, reported The Australian . Rajpal Abeynayake took to Twitter to accuse Colombage of inciting religious tension through his coverage of the violence in Aluthgama, which left 3 Muslims and one Tamil dead, after attacks by Sinhala mobs. “Lock up this scum to save lives” Abeynayake sid in one tweet, linking to Colombage’s own Twitter page, before tweeting that the journalist and other media were “twitter murderers” who “incited” the violence. U say arrest Atte Gnanasara. Arrest the twitter murderers Groundviews, Colombage etc. what's the differnce? Both didn't do it but incited — Rajpal Abeynayake (@Abeynayake) June 22, 2014 The editor mentioned President Rajapaksa, his son Namal and Consul-general to Australia, Bandula Jayasekara, in many of his tweets, in one of which he described the journalist as a “Twitter murderer sicko scumbag”.
A monk was arrested on his release from hospital, for the “staging” of his attack and abduction, police in Colombo said. Watareka Vijitha was found beaten, naked and tied up, after he campaigned against the anti-Muslim violence in southern Sri Lanka. Police afterwards claimed that the monk’s injuries were self-inflicted using keys and blades.
Parliamentarians and campaigners held a discussion at the Houses of Parliament in Britain on Tuesday, where campaigners highlighted Sri Lanka's repressive Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), which has been used to arbitrarily arrest and detain individuals for years. Organised by the Tamil Information Centre, the event was chaired by British Parliamentarian Paul Burlow . Speakers included Member of Parliament Edward Davey , Yolanda Foster from the South Asia desk at Amnesty International, Dr Andy Keef , the Clinical Directer at Freedom From Torture, Alan Keenan Senior Analyst and Sri Lanka Project Director at the International Crisis Group and Kulasegaram Geetharthanan , a human rights lawyer.