The bombings spread across Sri Lanka were the work of terrorists or religious extremists. That has a minister suggested. But the murderous wave of violence, shows that the government quite unexpectedly struck by an unknown enemy without warning and without compassion could strike.
In an attempt to bring the situation under control, described minister of Defence Ruwan Wijewardene, the explosions as terrorist attacks. He also claimed that the culprits identified …
In an attempt to bring the situation under control, described minister of Defence Ruwan Wijewardene, the explosions as terrorist attacks. He also claimed that the culprits have been identified. “We have all the necessary precautions were taken to our country and people to keep safe. All of the culprits… have been identified and will soon be arrested, ” he said.
That sounded optimistic. So far, no one has the attacks claimed. No one is witty. The attackers can foreigners as well as Sri Lankans. And the motive of the perpetrators is not yet known.
The nearly simultaneous attacks on three luxury hotels in the popular tourist city of Colombo can both point to anti-western motifs, as on enmity towards the government. But equally it could begin to hate crimes motivated by religious fanaticism.
Another possibility is that the attacks in one way or another related to the commemoration of the bloody end of the civil war between the government forces and the Tamiltijgers, the separatists from the north of the country. Next month is ten years ago.
A minister who is not mentioned by name wanted to be gave to the BBC, that the intelligence and security services have no idea who is responsible or what the motive of the perpetrators is.
Unprocessed war
The attacks may arise from the inability of Sri Lanka to the violence from the past in the process. There slumbers a lot of bitterness and discontent in the population. For some, on both sides of the conflict, the war was not yet over. In July last year, the United Nations reported that the commitment of the unity government, from 2015 to transitional justice after the war to install “virtually to a standstill’.
According to the UN remain the ordetroepen get away with brutal violence, including torture, to use. ‘Numerous individuals’ are the victims of legal abuses arising from the “Law for the Prevention of Terrorism’.
The Sri Lankan government fought for more than three decades a civil war against the separatist Tamils. That culminated in the bloody suppression of the Tamiltijgers, which is an independent state wanted to establish. The government says torture is to reject and respect for human rights. But sustainable reconciliation remains elusive.
“The Tamils are stigmatised and feel left out while the various minorities in the country are becoming less believe that the government any form of nationalimse right tackle,” said Ben Emmerson, UN special rapporteur for counter-terrorism, last year to The Guardian.
Christian minorities
The attacks come in a context of strongly increasing persecution of christian minorities in the Middle East and South Asia. In the bombings on Sunday would particularly the catholic communities of three churches most affected.
Sri Lanka is mainly a buddhist country. The christian minority, which is about six percent of the population, it is in the recent past not been prosecuted. But living together with other religious communities was not always easy.
The National Christian Evangelical Alliance (NCEA) of Sri Lanka, that 200 churches represents, reported last year, 86 cases of discrimination, threats and violence towards christians. This year, according to the NCEA all 26 incidents reported, including an attempt by buddhist monks at a church service to disrupt.
In his report on human rights in Sri Lanka from 2018, says the department of Foreign Affairs of the united states that several christian leaders in the country complain that the government them put pressure to church services, to delete or to shorten it because it is ‘illegal gatherings’.
The ngo Open Doors, a worldwide christian support network covering, places Sri Lanka at number 46 in the top 50 countries where christians ‘the most extreme persecution’ risk.
In the region there are more and more attacks reported in Pakistan, Myanmar and neighbouring India, which is on the tenth place in the Open Doors ranking is. Between the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu and north of Sri Lanka, there are strong ethnic and relgieuze tires.
Link with India?
According to Open Doors, there is a correlation between the rise of the hindoenationalistische BJP in India and the rising insecurity. “The BJP believes that a Hindu is part of the Indian identity and squeezes arranged a blind eye to attacks on people who believe differently,” writes Open Doors on his website.
Narendra Modi, the Indian prime minister and leader of the BJP, the attacks have been condemned and said to be solidarity with the Sri Lankans. “There is no place for such barbaric acts in our region,” he said.
Imran Khan, prime minister of Pakistan, a country where recent attacks were against christians, even though his dislike for the attacks was expressed.
North Korea, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Yemen, Sudan, Somalia and Libya would be the most dangerous countries for christians. There is also increasing violence against the Coptic minority in Egypt.
In Iraq and Syria were christians, and other non-muslims, the target of the IS-terrorists during the caliphate. Many of his then fled.
© The Guardian
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