Jehovas Witnesses Christians Arrested and Threatened by Ravana Balaya Activists in Colombo Suburb

Thursday, June 20, 2013

D.B.S.JeyarajA group of Christians belonging to the denomination known as Jehovas Witnesses became the target of the ethno religious fascist organization Ravana Balaya (Ravana force)on Sunday June 16th 2013 at Mulleriyawa on the eastern outskirts of Colombo city. The Ravana Balaya is an extremist organization comprising members of the Buddhist clergy and laity named after the mythological ten headed demon king of ancient Lanka,Ravana. The Ravana Balaya along with the Bodhu Bala Sena and Sihala Ravaya forms a triumvirate of Ethno Religious fascist organizations unleashing hatred and violence against the religious and racial minorities in Sri Lanka in the name of Sinhala Buddhism. It is widely believed that these organizations are able to indulge in these hate activities because of tacit support extended by the upper echelons of the ruling Rajapaksa government. The benign protection afforded by those at the top has led to a situation where a climate of impunity prevails in regard to transgressions of the law by these organizations. The Ravana Balaya has been hitting the headlines in recent times through several campaigns like threatening to throw eggs at Sri Lankan cricketers playing in India, demanding the banning of Tamil films from India,calling for a statue of Ravana to be erected before a constructing a ststue of Sita, protesting against the naming of a cyclone as mahasen etc. It has also engaged in acts of violence against Christian churches. MULLERIYAWA The latest incident occurring on Sunday in Mulleriyawa was one in which the Ravana Balaya led by Ven Itthakande Saddhatissa Thero was involved with Saddhatissa Thero himself playing a leading role A group of Christians belonging to the Jehovavas Witnesses denomination were engaged in evangelical outreach in the area of Mulleriyawa an eastern Colombo suburb to the south of the Kelani river. Mulleriyawa is the venue of the historic battle Mulleriyawa satana waged by King Mayadunna against the Portugese in 1559. In recent times Mulleriyawa is widely known for a mental hospital. The operation launched by the Ravana balaya against the Jehovas witnesses evoked memories of both the battle and the hospital.

A group of Jehovas witnesses(JW) were engaged in evangelical work in Vijithapura in the Walpola area of Mulleriyawa. TheJW Christians were going house to house distributing Sinhala copies of the monthly magazine Awake!.

AWAKE! MAGAZINE
The Awake! Monthly issued by the Jehovas Witnesses is the magazine with the second largest global circulation with 43,500,000 copies in 99 languages published every month. The largest circulated magazine is watchtower also published by Jehovas witnesses. It has 45 million copies in 109 languages. When the JW group was distributing these copies the organization ravana Balaya was alerted by some people in the neighbourhood who objected to the Christians visiting Buddhist houses. Within a short time a group of Buddhist monks and laymen led by the Ravana Balaya leader Ven Itthekande Saddhatissa Thero arrived at the scene. The group was joined by some others in the Vijithapura area. The Ravana balaya contingent then accosted the Jehovas witnesses and encircled them. They were ordered to stop their magazine distribution at once. Unwilling to confront ravanas forces the JW Christians comprising men and women meekly obliged and prepared to leave the area. The Ravana Balaya however exerted some physical force and restrained them from leaving. Some intimidatory threats were also issued. Meanwhile Saddhatissa Thero telephoned the Mulleriyawa Police station and asked the Police to come. The Police obeyed Saddhatissa Thero and arrived at the spot. SADDHATISSA THERO Media personnel with TV cameras also arrived at the spot after being invited by Saddhatissa Thero Thereafter Saddhatissa Thero told the Police to take the Christian group into custody.These instructions too were followed by the Police who ordered the Jehovas witnesses to accompany them to the station. The Ravana Balaya also went to the Police station. A complaint against the Jehovas witnesses was recorded at the Mulleriyawe station. Thereafter they were allowed to leave but had to listen to a harangue by Saddhatissa Thero before being set free. The Ravana balaya leader warned the Jehovas witnesses that they should stop visiting Buddhist residences. They could distribute their literature to their own people but not to Sinhala Buddhists he said.

You all can tell about your God to your own people but dont try to do a mad dance in Buddhist home homes
Saddhatissa Thero said. Saddhatissa Thero said he was fully aware that foreign countries and NGOs were financing the JW in Sri Lanka. That is why they are able to attire themselves in tie and coat and go about in posh vehicles the monk said.

He also said that all information about them was with the Police CID. Finally the JW Christians were warned not to get caught to the Ravana Balaya again.if you do get caught again there will be consequences.When that happens dont start complaining that we (Ravana Balaya)are bad peoplesaid Saddhatissa ominously SPECTATORS While Saddhatissa Thero was proferring this advice to the Christians the Mulleriyawa Police remained silent spectators The Jehovas Winesses left the Police station after getting a taste of mild ethno religious fascism at the hands of the Ravana Balaya. The Jehovas witnesses denomination is distinctly different from mainstream protestant Christian denominations. It rejects trinitarianism and disapproves of festivals such as Christmas and Easter. The Jehovas witnesses derive their name from verse has over 20 million worldwide adherents of whom around 8 million engage in evangelical work. DBS Jeyaraj can be reached at dbsjeyaraj@yahoo.com

Muslim Photographer Attacked by Marching Sinhala Ravaya Protesters at Gandara in Matara District
D.B.S.Jeyaraj-Thursday, June 20, 2013 Another incident of anti-Muslim violence has occurred in the Southern province of Sri Lanka during the course of the protest march being conducted by the Sinhala Ravaya from Kataragama/Kathirkaamam to Colombo. Preliminary reports indicate that a Muslim photographer authorised by the Police to record the Sinhala March had been assaulted with the Police doing nothing to stop it. The Sinhala Ravaya march is expected to conclude in Colombo where a petition calling for a ban on cattle slaughter and sale of beef is to be submitted to President Mahinda Rajapaksa. The Sinhala Ravaya that began its protest march against cattle slaughter and the sale of beef on June 15th 2013 from the Kirivehare in the sacred area of Kathirkaamam/Kataragama under the leadership of Venerable Magalkanda Sughaththa Thero passed through Tangalle in the Hambantota district on Tuesday June 18th. A Muslim owned beef stall in the town was attacked and set on fire by some elements in the Sinhala Ravaya in the presence of Police personnel under an Inspector of Police.

The procession continued to march further after the incident and reached the outskirts of Matara district later in the day on Tuesday. After resting for the night ,the Sinhala Ravaya continued their march again on the morning of Wednesday June 19th 2013 from Talalla in the Matara district of Southern Province.Talalla is about 180 Km from Colombo. The procession reached Gandara in Matara later in the day. Gandara is about 168 km from Colombo. Gandara an ancient village linked to the historic Ruhunu kingdom has a Sinhala and Muslim population co existing peacefully. The mosque in Gandara was originally built in 1840 and underwent renovation later. A team of Police personnel was assigned the duty of extending protection and maintaining peace when the Sinhala Ravaya was in the vicinity of Gandara.A police official verbally asked a Muslim photographer to cover the march when it proceeded through Gandara and supply photos of the event to the Police.He was assured of full payment and complete protection by the Police. Confident of Police protection the photographer began taking pictures of the march from various angles. Irritated by this , some of the Buddhist monks at the forefront of the march summoned him and inquired the reason for his photographing the march. The man had said that he had been assigned by the Police to cover the march in Gandara and take photographs. He was then asked to show his national identity card.The man obliged. Upon finding that the photographer was of Muslim ethnicity the Sinhala Ravaya processionists got perturbed. The Buddhist monks questioned the Police whether they had authorised the man to take pictures of their march and why.They also berated the Police for assigning a Muslim to take photographs. The Police who had assigned the photographer to cover the march got intimidated by the Sinhala Ravaya questions and remained silent in a sheepish manner. They did not take responsibility for authorising the photographer to take pictures. Meanwhile some others in the procession got angry over the matter and turned hostile towards the photographer. Uttering racist epithets like Thambiya and Marakkalaya they surrounded the photographer and began manhandling him. His camera was snatched away. The ID card was alsoconfiscated. The photographer was dealt some blows.He kept appealing to the Police to stop the attack but the cops did nothing.After a while the man extricated himself and fled from the spot. When a few wanted to chase him the Police intervened and stopped it. It is learnt that the Muslim photographer lodged a complaint with the Police that he had been assaulted and that his camera and ID card had been taken away by the Sinhala Ravaya. Apparently he was discouraged from complaining that he had been authorised by the Police to cover the event. The behaviour of the Police in this incident is rather baffling. It is not known whether the Police were intimidated into inaction by the Sinhala Ravaya or whether the cops had played a nasty prank on the Muslim photographer and thrown him to the Saffron led wolf pack. Three ethno religious fascist organizations namely the Bodhu Bala Sena,Sinhala Ravaya and Ravana Balaya are

spearheading a hate campaign against Sri Lankan muslims and Christians in the name of Sinhala Buddhism with tacit support from the political party the Jathika Hela Urumaya. These activities reportedly have the support of the upper echelons of the Rajapaksa regime The Sinhala Ravaya conducting the march is led by Venerable Akmeemana Dayaratne Thero.Dayaratne Thero is a former Parliamentarian of the Jathika Hela Urumaya who was allegedly involved in the illegal sale of the vehicle permit allocated to him as an MP for 6.5 million rupees. The campaign against Muslims in the beef trade has been gathering momentum in recent times. The slaughter and transport of attle from Polonnaruwa district has been suspended. Several local authorities including the Anuradhapura and Kandy municipalities have prohibited the killing of cattle within urban limits. The on going campaign against cattle slaughter is likely to inflict a crippling blow to Muslims engaged in the beef trade. The racist nature of the anti-beef campaign is demonstrated by the fact that the targets are those selling the meat and not those consuming it. A very large number of Buddhists also eat beef but the ethno religious fascists do not ask them to refrain from eating beef.Instead they demand that Beef not be sold or cattle killed . DBS Jeyaraj can be reached at dbsjeyaraj@yahoo.com