“A house in which former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga and UPFA rebel Provincial Councilor, Hirunika Premachandra, were dining was attacked by UPFA supporters at about 10pm on Friday at Peenawala in Beruwela, Manjula Gajanayake, National Co-ordinator, Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV) said yesterday.”
via: http://dbsjeyaraj.com/dbsj/archives/36681
Instead of dispersing the unruly mob or arresting them, the Police asked the organizers to cancel the meeting and send the participants home. They also refused to provide the participants with protection, despite the organizers requesting the Police for protection, whilst pointing out that the Police were duty-bound to do so. The organizers continued to stand their ground and insist that the Police remove the abusive mob from the private premises of the church. The organizers were reinforced by the arrival of several lawyers, Catholic priests and representatives of civil society organizations.
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.
Despite the deployment of Sri Lanka’s Special Task Force 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 the attacks.
source: www.aljazeera.com
“On the 12th of January 2014, the Assemblies of God and the Calvary church in Hikkaduwa (Galle District) came under attack by mobs while engaging in worship services, says the National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri-Lanka.”
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source: Colombo Telegraph
