Emergency Declared in Sri Lanka after Violent Riots Emerge-
When and how did the riots start?
Sri Lankan authorities declared a state of emergency for 10 days on Tuesday, May 19, and deployed about 4,000 military police to quell rioting Sinhalese and Muslim groups. The unrest started last week with attacks by Sinhalese Buddhist mobs against Muslim-owned businesses, residences and mosques. President Mahinda Rajapaksa has tried to separate violence from religion but hasn't escaped criticism from human rights activists who have long accused him of turning a blind eye to bias against Muslims. Sri Lanka is approximately 70 percent Buddhist; 13 percent Hindu; 10 percent Muslim; 7 percent Christian; and 8 percent other religions, according to estimates from 2005.
Where did the riots occur?
The riots occurred in Kandy, Sri Lanka and spread to other parts of Sri Lanka. The troubles began when Muslims were accused of being responsible for killing a sacred Buddhist monk. Such attacks are rare on the island, but have happened with increasing frequency over recent years, as tensions between majority Buddhists and minority Muslims have intensified. There has been some opposition to President Maithripala Sirisena's handling of the current crisis and many analysts believe he is vulnerable to a challenge by a more hardline candidate such as ex-president Mahinda Rajapaksa or his brother Gotabaya Rajapaksa. (BBC)
What are state officials doing to prevent this from happening again?
Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena has declared a state of emergency across Sri Lanka, following violent riots between Buddhists and Muslims. Sri Lankan police had previously placed a curfew on Friday to try to quell violence that led to three deaths. As part of his declaration, Sirisena said constitutional rights will be suspended for a period not exceeding fifteen days with effect from today. Rights are being suspended as security forces try to prevent further clashes over long-simmering tensions between Sri Lanka's majority Sinhalese population and minority Muslim community. The president called off an official visit to Japan, set for next week, because of the prevailing situation at home, according to his office.
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Sri Lanka (officially named Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka) is an island nation located in southern Asia, off of the southeastern coast of India. The country was formally known as Ceylon until 1972. As a unitary state with one legislative house, Sri Lanka is a republic and follows highly centralized governmental system where most authority resides at national level. Although there are many ethnic groups living on Sri Lankan territory, Sinhalese makes up over three-quarters of total population of 21 million people living on island.
What role do citizens play?
Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena has declared a state of emergency for 10 days, saying that law and order had broken down across parts of the country following a series of attacks by mobs on Muslim businesses and places of worship. But an outpouring of anger over religious violence is no excuse for Sri Lankans to abuse their rights, or use violence against people based on their religion, ethnicity or gender. The government should enforce security with vigilance against these crimes — but it must not use it as a pretext to punish citizens who are rightfully protesting discrimination. Amid communal strife, calls for restraint and solidarity are essential; they will determine whether Sri Lanka emerges from its current crisis as a stable democracy able to embrace all its citizens or descends into further chaos.