Scapegoating the Muslims: From Aluthgama to Post-Easter Sunday to COVID-19
Photo via To date in Sri Lanka 9 persons are said to have died of Covid-19 and out of these 4 are Muslims. At least 02 of these victims’ families believe their…
Search Results for: aluthgama
The Aftermath: Aluthgama Three Years On
The words of a Muslim man I met on my visit to Aluthgama, two weeks after the violence broke out in 2014 rang hollow as I returned to Aluthgama a few weeks…
Aluthgama Three Years On
Dharga town is sleepy in the afternoon heat, especially at this time of year, the month of Ramadan. However, three years ago, in 2014, the streets were filled with smoke. has written…
Three years since Aluthgama: Hopes for co-existence remain more elusive than ever
Today marks the third anniversary of the Aluthgama riots, a seismic event in the history of Sri Lanka’s troubled ethnic relations. The dark days of 15th and 16th June 2014, saw marauding…
BBS threatens a repeat Aluthgama
I have been accused by many in comments to my articles that I continue to write about the pogrom in Aluthgama and Muslims while the Tamils have had to undergo state terrorism…
Responding to Aluthgama
Photography by Thyagi Ruwanpathirana Responding to Aluthgama Imagine a country, an island in the Indian Ocean. Let’s call it Serendib (ooh, the irony). Imagine further: several groups, including those named Limat, Milsum…
The Aluthgama Atrocities: Lessons for Religion-engagement or estrangement
Photo by Thyagi Ruwanpathirana The recent spate of senseless attacks on the Muslim community was brought about by the convergence of a chronic breakdown of law and order, manipulative politics and the…
The aftermath: Aluthgama two weeks on
Two weeks have passed since violence broke out in Aluthgama and Beruwala on the 15th June- a day that will go down in the history books of Sri Lanka as nothing short…
The Politics of ‘Aluthgama’
Anagarika Dharmapala, Letter of 15th June, 1915 (in A. Guruge, ed, (1991), p. 540-541 The Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) and its many monks take their ‘professional’ duty – the promotion of Sinhala…
Statement on Aluthgama violence by Rt. Revd Dhiloraj R. Canagasabey, Bishop of Colombo
Photo by Dinouk Colombage, Al Jazeera I am deeply perturbed and concerned at the large scale violence unleashed on members of the Muslim community last weekend (15th June 2014), in the Aluthgama,…
Aluthgama violence: Where was Sri Lanka’s President?
Photo by Dinouk Colombage, via The horrible killings and destruction in Aluthgama on Sunday was blacked out by almost all mainstream media in Sri Lanka at the height of the violence and the morning after….
Horror in Aluthgama: Their Crime, Our Shame
Photo courtesy BBC [Editors note: This was sent by the author directly to us. As a policy Groundviews does not republish what’s already gone up somewhere else on the web. Making an…
Aluthgama riots and deaths: Vital updates
Photo courtesy BBC Update #3: 7.05am, 176 June 2014 A video with English subtitles of the BBS speech that incited violence in Aluthgama is now on YouTube. Also uploaded to the web…
New Documentary Explores Sri Lanka’s Buddhist Supremacy and Minority Communities
In Nedunkeni, a small town outside Vavuniya, an ancient Hindu monument consecrated to Lord Siva stood on Vedukkunaari hill. The monument was reported stolen and later its destroyed remnants were found in…
Doorway 2024
The news barely made the news. Defence secretary (retired) General Kamal Gunaratne and Army Commander General Vikum Liyanage were ordered by the Parliamentary Privileges Committee to apologise to parliamentarian Chandima Weerakkody. Last…