Two Muslim governors in Lanka resign after protests by Buddhists

Two Muslim governors in Sri Lanka resigned Monday afterthousands of people, including majority Buddhist community monks, launched aprotest in the pilgrim city of Kandy, demanding their sacking for allegedlysupporting Islamist extremists responsible for the Easter suicide bombings.

Western Province Governor Azath Salley and Eastern ProvinceGovernor MALM Hisbullah, handed over their resignation letters to PresidentMaithripala Sirisena in response to protests by the majority Buddhist monks,officials said.

   

Salley and Hisbullah, both Muslim allies of Sirisena andappointed by him, were under pressure to resign after being accused of beinglinked to extremism.

Both Salley and Hisbullah have rejected the allegations.

This is a direct fall out of the Easter Sunday suicide bombattacks carried out by ISIS linked local Islamist group National ThowheethJamaath (NTJ).

The resignation came four days after Buddhist monkAthuraliye Rathana, who is also a parliamentarian from a Sirisena allied party,sit on a hunger strike in the central town of Kandy near the foremost Buddhistshrine, the Temple of Tooth.

“I will end my fast only after the president will sackthe two Muslim governors,” Rathana said at the commencement of hisprotest.

A crowd of about 10,000 Buddhists held demonstration at thefamous temple on Monday morning raising anti-Muslim slogans.

Firebrand monk Galagodaaththe Gnanasara, released from jailon a presidential pardon last month, was also present. Gnanasara has long beenaccused of instigating hate crimes against Muslims.

The head of the Catholic Church in Colombo, Cardinal MalcolmRanjith, also travelled to Kandy on Monday to express solidarity with Rathana.

Shops and offices remained closed in the city, 115kilometres east of Colombo, while black flags were raised in support ofRathana.

Following the April 21 attacks that claimed 258 lives, theMuslim minority politicians representing the government came under criticismfor their alleged support extended to the rising Muslim militancy.

One such minister, the Industry and Commerce MinisterRishath Bathiyutheen was directly accused of supporting the NTJ, which carriedout the suicide bombings on three Colombo hotels and three churches.

The Opposition moved a motion of no confidence in theParliament against Bathiyutheen who has denied links to the NTJ and its terroractivities.

The Muslim politicians in the government are said to beconsidering a move to resign from their positions to protest what they term thegovernment’s inability to ensure the safety of the Muslim minority whoconstitute 9 per cent of the island’s 21 million population.

In the wake of the bombings, majority Sinhala community mobsattacked Muslim-owned properties in towns north of the capital killing oneMuslim man and leaving hundreds of homes, shops and mosques vandalised.

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