Religious fanatics at work at law and order minister’s electorate

- Sep 30, 2017

A group of Buddhist monks entered a Muslim businessplace near Nation’s Trust Bank at Deniyaya town on the 27th, threatened its owner and workers and closed down the place. The reason they cited was that a purse with a Dharma Chakra printed on it was on sale there.

The OIC of Deniyaya police intervened and the owner explained to him that it was not a Dharma Chakra, but an anchorage. The OIC accepted it and informed him that the place could be reopened.

The group of religious fanatics made this threat in the electorate of minister of law and order Sagala Ratnayake. If he cannot maintain law and order in his electorate, how can he expect to do so in the entire country?

We have been experiencing the activities of such extremist groups for several years now. But, the government has so far been unable to tackle them. Recently, a group of monks threatened and tried to attack a group of

Rohingya refugees staying in the country under UNHRC care. That was raised in parliament too. Ministers Mangala Samaraweera and Rajitha Senaratne stressed that such groups should be controlled, while deputy minister Ajith P. Perera said a black mark against the country was caused due to actions by certain extremists over this matter.

Such positive talk from the government side is welcome, but it is confined to talk only. The subject minister is keeping silent. Saying there are threats to the Sinhalese and Buddhism from other communities and other religions, these groups are taking the law into their own hands, and taking to the path of the Taleban and 969 group of Myanmar. They justify killings to protect Buddhism. How can such extremist groups protect a nation and a religion?