Petition signed by over 5,000: Inaction of Police in face of extremism

Photograph courtesy Fox News

Dear Mr. Jayasundara,-GROUNDVIEWS on 11/22/2016

Attached herewith, is a follow-up Complaint to you, signed by 5000+ people from Sri Lanka, regarding the inaction of the police against extremist groups, particularly those led by Buddhist monks. The petition is still online in all 3 languages, and is gaining momentum daily. We will continue to send you complaint after complaint until you take the necessary legal action against these extremist groups, as we reiterate that nobody should be considered above the law, and that everyone must be treated equal under the law.

We note H.E. President Sirisena’s instructions to you at the Security Council meeting held earlier this week, to take action against all those who incited racism, as a positive step. However, these instructions are yet to have any bearing, even following the mass rally jointly organized by all/many of these extremist, Buddhist monk-led groups, in Kandy, on the 19th of Nov. where racist, hateful and Sinhala Buddhist supremacist speeches were made and slogans chanted, leaflets meant to mobilize more recruits and incite the masses were distributed, and even property was destroyed. i.e. mosque road board was destroyed, and a Buddhist flag erected in its place. (Flyers and pic of destroyed board can be accessed here.)

We have made 5 main demands (original complaint can be accessed here), including, calling for the immediate arrest of Buddhist monks, Gnanasara and Sumangala Himi, for fueling communal tension and threatening to incite violence against ethnic and religious numerical minorities. We have provided adequate evidence, (also freely available in the public domain) in this regard. We also call for the Police to conduct prompt investigations into the actions of all other extremist groups and persons, and take urgent and necessary action under the law.

Thank you, and please contact me for any further clarifications.

Kind regards,

Marisa de Silva (On behalf of the signatories)

CC:

1. H.E. Maithripala Sirisena, President.
2. Hon. Ranil Wickremesinghe, Prime Minister.
3. Hon. Sagala Ratnayake, Minister of Law & Order and Southern Development.
4. Hon. Mangala Samaraweera, Minister of Foreign Affairs.
5. Hon. Mano Ganesan, Minister of National Co-existence Dialogue and Official Languages.
6. Hon. Ruwan Wijewardena, State Minister of Defence.
7. Hon. Jayantha Jayasuriya PC, Attorney-General.
8. Dr. Deepika Udagama, Chair, Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka.
9. G.M.W.P. Jayathilake, Secretary, Judicial Service Commission Secretariat.
10. Prof. Siri Hettige, Chairperson, National Police Commission.
11. Ven. Mahanayakas of the Malwatte and Asgiriya Chapters.