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| Sunday, 2 November 2003 |
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"Communal violence" condemned Attack on Sinhala-Tamil Arts fest. by Deepal Warnakulasuriya The Sinhala Tamil Arts Festival organised by the Hiru Team concluded on a high note on Thursday, with many overtures made to cement better understanding between the North and South. But the festival also stirred Sinhala chauvinistic sentiments with an unruly mob, allegedly instigated by the ultra-nationalist Sihala Urumaya party attempting to disrupt the event. The ensuing fracas left five persons injured including two journalists, and five Sihala Urumaya members in prison. The event headlined 'Sihala Damila Kala Ulela' was held at the New Town Hall premises on October 29 and 30. Participants included eminent Tamil and Sinhala personalities from the fields of drama, film, media and poetry. The unsavoury incident began in a seemingly innocuous manner with a youth from the audience posing a question to the head table, during a discourse on novels written in Sinhala and Tamil. The situation quickly disintegrated to a full pledged mob violence and the police had to be called into bring the situation under control. Rohitha Bhashana Abeygunawardena, Chief Organiser of the festival said that they were engaged in a historical task to re-build the bridge of common interest between the North and South broken two decades ago and the importance of the effort was not understood by hooligans whose only intention was to disrupting the event. "We knew that they were among the audience. But, we couldn't say no to any one, because it was a literary festival", he said. Abeygunawardena said that they would file court action against the culprits who disturbed the event in about a week, but said that the artistes and intellectuals who came from the North were happy about the function. He also said that the participants had told him they had a soft corner for the Sinhala people. "They were happy since we protected them as they were protected in several riots in 1957, 1977 and 1983," he further added. Meanwhile, the Sihala Urumaya at a press conference on Friday said that one of their members had only asked a question from the head table as the audience had been allowed to ask questions. "The answer by the organisers was to take him by the shirt and attack him. Is that discipline? Is that the affection, love or humanism which they spoke on the stage?" SU Leader Thilak Karunaratne asked. Karunaratne called the cultural festival an LTTE propaganda meeting and accused pro-LTTE Sinhalese of creating an opportunity for the LTTE to carry out their campaign in the South. The SU also went in a procession to the Cinnamon Gardens Police Station on Thursday demanding the release of five of their members who were arrested by the police. However, their efforts to proceed towards the new Town Hall for a second day of disruption was prevented by the police. SU National Organiser Champika Ranawaka said that none of their members were armed and called them innocent participants at the function. "But the organisers were prepared for violence and had wooden bars, chains and rods ready to attack our members," he said. When the SU leader was questioned on the decision by the police to probe the incident , he said that the police had already lost credibility with them. Meanwhile, the Political Bureau of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna in a press release condemned both the organisers of the festival and those involved in the mob violence saying that a group of Sinhalese were practising the same method of violence as the LTTE. It also stated that programmes like cultural events will not work in the Western province as the Tamils who escaped from both the war and the LTTE, had come and settled in Colombo. "In these areas, Sinhala, Muslim and Tamil communities live in peace and harmony. Anybody who seeks to unify the separated communities, should make their efforts in Kilinochchi or Vanni where the separatists are active". The release also said that the function was organised by an NGO seeking to support the process of establishing a Tamil Eelam." We have to defeat any mode of communalism be it under the Sinhala, Tamil or Muslim label and the saddest fact is the Sinhala communalists have proven that their method is similar to Pirabakaran's." People's Alliance spokesman Dr. Sarath Amunugama said that the law must be followed on what had taken place at the new Town Hall premises. "We do not know actually what happened there. We however, as the PA, stress the freedom of expression is a basic right for any citizen in the country. We also urge the police to meet the culprits who created a violent situation there", Dr. Amunugama added. Meanwhile, Interior Minister John Amaratunga at a press briefing on Thursday said that they had evidence of involvement of another extremist political party in addition to the leading role played by the SU. He also said that they had information over the issue and however, had instructed the police and the CID to carry out a full scale inquiry to identify and apprehend the suspects. DIG Bodhi Liyanage briefing the media said that investigation will also be carried to determine whether any journalists from a leading Sinhala daily were involved in the clash. ******* Special teams to investigate incident Two special teams from the Colombo Crime Division (CCD) and the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) deployed to investigate the New Town Hall incident are likely to make more arrests after viewing video tapes and photographs to identify the culprits involved in the assault of persons participating at the Sinhala Tamil Arts Festival, last week. Colombo Crime Division's (CCD) Director, SSP, Sarath Lugoda said that although the suspects involved in the assault have not yet been identified so far, several video tapes and photographs made available to them will help them to do so. He said that according to eye witness accounts some journalists from a Sinhala newspaper (not Lake House group) were involved in the attack. Meanwhile the five suspects taken into custody by the Police, K.P. Wickremaratna of Colombo 5, L. S. N. Priyantha of Colombo 3, G. N. Ranjith of Colombo 15, G. A. Chaminda and M. S. Sudharshan of Kalubowila were remanded by the Colombo Chief Magistrate and Additional District Judge, A. A. R. Heiyanthuduwa last week. Two police teams detailed by DIG (CID) Lionel Gunatillake and Senior DIG, Colombo Bodhi Liyanage are investigating the incident. - JJ |
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