For Immediate Release
June 17, 2014

Canadians Strongly Condemn Anti-Muslim Riots in Sri Lanka

TORONTO, Canada – On Sunday, June 15, in yet another episode in the unfortunate history of religious and ethnic violence in Sri Lanka, anti-Muslim riots broke out in the towns of Aluthgama, Beruwala and Welipenna in the Western Province of the country. Current reports confirm that four people have been killed and 80 injured as mobs marched through the towns vandalizing and setting fire to mosques, prayer houses, homes, shops, and schools.

The riots followed a protest rally organized by the hardline Buddhist group Bodu Bala Sena (BBS), which has incited hate speech against minority communities in Sri Lanka for well over a year. On March 27, 2014, the 25th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) passed Resolution 25/1, Promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka, wherein it specifically expressed alarm over the “significant surge in attacks against members of religious minority groups in Sri Lanka, including Hindus, Muslims and Christians."

While international and local journalists continue to report on the situation, the Government of Sri Lanka is yet to make any official statement. Rauff Hakeem, Leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress and Cabinet Minister of Justice, has been quoted in the media as having unsuccessfully lobbied his own government since late last week to deny permission to the BBS to hold the protest rally for fear it would lead to such rioting.

As concerned organizations in various diaspora communities from Sri Lanka, we strongly and unreservedly condemn the anti-Muslim riots in Aluthgama, Beruwala and Welipenna as well as the ongoing religious extremism and ethnic discrimination in Sri Lanka.

We extend our deepest sympathy to the families of victims in Aluthgama, Beruwala and Welipenna, and stand in solidarity with Sri Lankan Muslims in Canada in their hour of need. We also appreciate the extraordinary courage of ordinary citizens in these affected towns who have stepped forward to guard their neighbours and help prevent further loss of life and property. 

We welcome the Government of Canada’s recent statement on this incident, and call upon Canada, the international community and Sri Lankan civil society to hold the Government of Sri Lanka accountable in immediately bringing the perpetrators of these riots to justice with due process to ensure communal harmony.

Joint statement co-signed by:

• Canada Sri Lanka Muslim Association of Ontario
• Centennial College Sri Lankan Students Alliance
• Humber College Sri Lankan Students Alliance
• Lanka Solidarity
• Manitoba Sri Lankan Students Alumni Alliance
• Mohawk College Sri Lankan Students Alliance
• Montreal Sri Lankan Students Alumni Alliance
• Queen's Tamil Students Association
• Sailan Muslim Foundation
• Seneca College Sri Lankan Students Alliance
• Sheridan College Sri Lankan Students Alliance
• Society for the Aid of Community Empowerment
• Sri Lanka Unites – Canada
• Sri Lankans Without Borders
• Tamil Resource Centre
• Toronto Sri Lankan Students Alumni Alliance
• University of Ontario Institute of Technology Sri Lankan Students Alliance
• University of Toronto at Scarborough Sri Lankan Students Alliance
• University of Toronto at St. George Tamil Students Association
• University of Windsor Sri Lankan Students Alliance
• Vasantham Tamil Wellness Centre for Seniors and their Families

[Petition image sourced from http://www.cnn.com/2014/06/17/world/asia/sri-lanka-aluthgama-violence]

 

________

[Statement and petition formally submitted to the Government of Canada and the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on July 9, 2014.] 

July 9, 2014

The Honourable John Baird
Minister of Foreign Affairs
House of Commons
Government of Canada
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A6

Dear Minister:

Re: Canadians Strongly Condemn Anti-Muslim Riots in Sri Lanka

As you are aware, anti-Muslim riots broke out in Sri Lanka on June 15, 2014 killing at least four people, injuring 80, displacing thousands, and causing extensive damage to residential and commercial properties including homes, businesses, mosques, and schools valued at tens of millions of dollars. The rioting is widely believed to have been incited by a hardline Buddhist group, the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS), which has actively carried out a campaign of hate speech against minority communities in Sri Lanka for well over a year.

A group of us, as concerned Canadians, immediately released a statement on June 17, 2014 strongly condemning the violence and the increasing religious extremism and ongoing ethnic discrimination in Sri Lanka and expressing our condolences to families of the victims and the Sri Lankan Muslim Canadian community. We also welcomed the Government of Canada’s own timely statement on this incident while calling on Canada and others to hold the Government of Sri Lanka accountable in immediately bringing the perpetrators of the riots to justice with due process.

Our statement can be read in full at http://chn.ge/1vNR3c6.

In what may also be considered a first, the statement was co-signed by more than 20 organizations from across the various diaspora ethnic communities from Sri Lanka in Canada in a rare show of solidarity on this important issue. We are hopeful that such non-partisan public advocacy and solidarity building in the diaspora on key issues affecting Sri Lanka and its diaspora in Canada will only become more common in the future.

While we take note of the arrest of approximately 120 suspects connected to the riots, it is not clear if any of them will be duly charged and prosecuted. We also remain deeply concerned that suspected key organizers of the riots, including the leadership of the BBS, have not yet been arrested or charged. During this month, on the 31st anniversary of the 1983 anti-Tamil riots in Sri Lanka, we are especially reminded of the devastating consequences of delayed justice and when intolerance goes unchecked. We would like to, therefore, now place our statement on the record and take this opportunity to request the Government of Canada to continue urging the Government of Sri Lanka to actively investigate this matter, proscribe the BBS as a domestic terrorist entity, and provide full and immediate compensation for families of the victims and survivors.

For more information, please contact the undersigned by email at aluthgamapetition@hotmail.com.

Sincerely,

Amra Ghouse, Dylan Fernando, Nadeesh Jayasinghe, Kumaran Nadesan, and Poornima Ranawana

cc.      

• Andrew Bennett, Ambassador, Office of Religious Freedom, Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada
• The Honourable Deepak Obhrai, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Government of Canada
• Paul Dewar, Official Opposition Critic for Foreign Affairs, New Democratic Party of Canada
• Marc Garneau, Opposition Critic for Foreign Affairs, Liberal Party of Canada
• Jean-François Fortin, Opposition Critic for Foreign Affairs, Bloc Québécois
• Dean Allison, Chair, Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development
• Shelley Whiting, High Commissioner of Canada to Sri Lanka and the Maldives
• Rathika Sitsabaiesan, Member of Parliament (Scarborough-Rouge River), New Democratic Party of Canada
• Canada Sri Lanka Muslim Association of Ontario
• Centennial College Sri Lankan Students Alliance
• Humber College Sri Lankan Students Alliance
• Lanka Solidarity
• Manitoba Sri Lankan Students Alumni Alliance
• Mohawk College Sri Lankan Students Alliance
• Montreal Sri Lankan Students Alumni Alliance
• Queen's Tamil Students Association
• Sailan Muslim Foundation
• Seneca College Sri Lankan Students Alliance
• Sheridan College Sri Lankan Students Alliance
• Society for the Aid of Community Empowerment
• Sri Lanka Unites – Canada
• Sri Lankans Without Borders
• Tamil Resource Centre
• Toronto Sri Lankan Students Alumni Alliance
• University of Ontario Institute of Technology Sri Lankan Students Alliance
• University of Toronto at Scarborough Sri Lankan Students Alliance
• University of Toronto at St. George Tamil Students Association
• University of Windsor Sri Lankan Students Alliance
• Vasantham Tamil Wellness Centre for Seniors and their Families

 

July 9, 2014

Navanethem Pillay
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
Palais Wilson
52 rue de Pâquis
CH-1201 Geneva, Switzerland

Dear Madame High Commissioner:

Re: Canadians Strongly Condemn Anti-Muslim Riots in Sri Lanka

As you are aware, anti-Muslim riots broke out in Sri Lanka on June 15, 2014 killing at least four people, injuring 80, displacing thousands, and causing extensive damage to residential and commercial properties including homes, businesses, mosques, and schools valued at tens of millions of dollars. The rioting is widely believed to have been incited by a hardline Buddhist group, the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS), which has actively carried out a campaign of hate speech against minority communities in Sri Lanka for well over a year. 

A group of us, as concerned Canadians, immediately released a statement on June 17, 2014 strongly condemning the violence and the increasing religious extremism and ongoing ethnic discrimination in Sri Lanka, expressing our condolences to families of the victims and the Sri Lankan Muslim Canadian community, and calling on the international community and others to hold the Government of Sri Lanka accountable in immediately bringing the perpetrators of the riots to justice with due process. 

Our statement can be read in full at http://chn.ge/1vNR3c6. We also welcome your own timely statement on this incident.

In what may also be considered a first, the statement was co-signed by more than 20 organizations from across the various diaspora ethnic communities from Sri Lanka in Canada in a rare show of solidarity on this important issue. We remain hopeful that such non-partisan public advocacy and solidarity building in the diaspora on key issues affecting Sri Lanka and its diaspora in Canada will only become more common in the future.

While we take note of the arrest of approximately 120 suspects connected to the riots, it is not clear if any of them will be duly charged and prosecuted. We also remain deeply concerned that suspected key organizers of the riots, including the leadership of the BBS, have not yet been arrested or charged. During this month, on the 31st anniversary of the 1983 anti-Tamil riots in Sri Lanka, we are especially reminded of the devastating consequences of delayed justice and when intolerance goes unchecked. We would like to, therefore, now place our statement on the record and take this opportunity to request the United Nations Human Rights Council and your office to continue urging the Government of Sri Lanka to actively investigate this matter, proscribe the BBS as a domestic terrorist entity, and provide full and immediate compensation for families of the victims and survivors. 

For more information, please contact the undersigned by email at aluthgamapetition@hotmail.com.

Sincerely,

Amra Ghouse, Dylan Fernando, Nadeesh Jayasinghe, Kumaran Nadesan, and Poornima Ranawana

cc. 

• Guillermo E. Rishchynski, Ambassador, Permanent Mission of Canada to the United Nations
• Zeid Ra’ad Zeid Al-Hussein, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (Designate)
• Heiner Bielefeldt, UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief
• Cynthia Veliko, Human Rights Advisor (Sri Lanka), UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
• Canada Sri Lanka Muslim Association of Ontario
• Centennial College Sri Lankan Students Alliance
• Humber College Sri Lankan Students Alliance
• Lanka Solidarity
• Manitoba Sri Lankan Students Alumni Alliance
• Mohawk College Sri Lankan Students Alliance
• Montreal Sri Lankan Students Alumni Alliance
• Queen's Tamil Students Association
• Sailan Muslim Foundation
• Seneca College Sri Lankan Students Alliance
• Sheridan College Sri Lankan Students Alliance
• Society for the Aid of Community Empowerment
• Sri Lanka Unites – Canada
• Sri Lankans Without Borders
• Tamil Resource Centre
• Toronto Sri Lankan Students Alumni Alliance
• University of Ontario Institute of Technology Sri Lankan Students Alliance
• University of Toronto at Scarborough Sri Lankan Students Alliance
• University of Toronto at St. George Tamil Students Association
• University of Windsor Sri Lankan Students Alliance
• Vasantham Tamil Wellness Centre for Seniors and their Families