What the patriotic MP Dilum said at the funeral

The funeral of the person who died in a bomb blast during the racial clashes in Kandy has taken place. Racists have been saying it was Muslims who had carried out the blast. But, the truth is now coming out, with police investigations revealing that the deceased had the bomb in his possession, which went off accidentally.

The funeral was attended by several politicians, where MP Dilum Amunugama made a speech that provoked the Sinhalese.

He said the bomb attack was carried out by Muslims and that there was eyewitness evidence. Sinhalese cannot remain like cowards when they are being attacked by the Muslims. Amunugama said that he would be going to Colombo and would be back tomorrow night. He urged the youths to be prepared to take revenge. The Sinhala youths present responded excitedly. Forgetting that they were at a funeral, they said they were with him and that the Muslims should be given the return in kind.

In the meantime, Mahinda Rajapaksa chaired a meeting at the home of MP Lohan Ratwatte, where too, the Sinhalese were provoked. Lohan has a hatred against the Muslims since he was accused and imprisoned over the Udatalawinna murders.

At the last cabinet news briefing, spokesman Rajitha Senaratne said an MP and others behind the racial clashes have been identified. The conduct of the politicians in Kandy makes it clear as to who the perpetrators are. If these politicians are allowed to take the law into their hands, more lives will be lost. Failure of the government and the police to act swiftly has aggravated this situation.

Under pressure, police arrested a group including one said to be leader of Mahasohon Balakaya, but many others are still spreading racism. Kandy is still under curfew and that means the fires are still raging.

At least now, the government and the police should understand that the arrest of persons behaving provocatively will not be enough. Brains should be examined of those who believe that arresting such persons, while racist politicians, Taliban-style Buddhist monks who are playing a behind-the-scene role remain free.