Embassies of Muslim countries including Bangladesh in Sri Lanka urged its government to take measures to ensure safety and security of Muslims and prevent communal violence in the country as it has regional and global security implications.
In a joint statement by the Ambassadors and the High Commissioners of the OIC countries in Sri Lanka issued Tuesday (Jun 4), they said, “We, the representatives of the OIC countries, urge the friendly government of Sri Lanka to take every measure necessary to prevent communal violence and to take swift, stern judicial action against the perpetrators, regardless of their religious and political influence in Sri Lankan society.”
The statement was issued hours after all Muslim ministers in the Lankan Cabinet, MPs across all parties and two Governors of Lankan Provinces resigned en masse on Monday as the government "failed to protect the minority community". Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said this was the first time in independent Lankan history that the government is functioning without Muslim ministers in it since its independence in 1948.
The events since Apr 21 terror attack has led a section of Sri Lankan political forces and religious Buddhist clergy to use the terrorist attacks in Sri Lanka to demonise, intimate, provoke and exclude Muslim people within the Sri Lankan society.
The Statement said, “Communal violence targeting Muslims in Sri Lanka has regional and global security implications. The developing situation over the past few days has been extremely worrying with regards to the safety and protection of the Sri Lankan Muslim community, including some foreign Muslim refugees.”
The Muslim community across Sri Lanka is deeply worried about the politically motivated intimidations and provocations, the statement said.
The OIC envoys issued the Statement after their meeting with Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena at an iftar reception hosted by the latter on Monday (Jun 3) at the President House.
When contacted, Bangladesh High Commissioner to Colombo Riaz Hamidulla said that the envoys conveyed the concerns to the Lankan President essentially to request for ensuring safety and security of the Muslims across Sri Lanka as ordinary members of the community were reaching out to the diplomatic missions sharing deeply worrying accounts of intimidation and provocations.
He said the Muslims are extremely worried over their lives, children, livelihood and business establishments.
“As long-standing friends of Sri Lanka, all of us who attended the programme, sincerely count on President’s leadership,” Riaz said.