BBC Sinhala service journalist Ranga Sirilal has tweeted saying that “initial investigations show Directorate of Military Intelligence operatives instigated violence to disrupt Sunday’s peaceful demo honouring the memory of those killed during the 1983 riots on 23 July in Colombo.”
Dozens of socail activits had gathered in front of Boralla cemetry where anti Tamil riotirs gathers 40 yeras ago.
Video footage from the commemoration shows a member of Sinhala Ravaya calling those particiapting in the commemoration ‘kottiya’ – a Sinhala term used to describe the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
Sinhala language web site Vikalpa published a detaied report on the disruption accompanied by Vvideos and photos. ( “යුක්තිය වෙනුවට තුවක්කු” “පහන් වෙනුවට ගුටි” කළු ජූලිය 40වන වසර කොළඹ දී…[Video/Photos])
Tweet by Ranga Sirilal says that presdient Wickremasinghe has ordred an investigation becasue of the international backlash for crushing the peaceful commoration.
Initial investigations show Directorate of Military Intelligence operatives instigated violence to disrupt Sunday’s peaceful demo honouring the memory of those killed during the 1983 riots. @RW_UNP as defence minister is responsible or does he have control? https://t.co/0NpaUWycOr
— Ranga Sirilal (@rangaba) July 26, 2023
Swiss Ambassador to Sri Lanka Dominik Furgler tweeted that “the right to peacefully remember is essential to deal with the past & build a harmonious future.”
We commemorate all lives lost during #BlackJuly 40 years ago. The right to peacefully remember is essential to deal with the past & build a harmonious future.
Switzerland will continue to support truth, justice & reconciliation for all Sri Lankans. pic.twitter.com/yGnUBRbhde— Dominik Furgler (@SwissAmbLKA) July 24, 2023
Editor of Vikalpa web site Sampath Smarakoon has publised photographs of two seboteurs who came to disrupt the commoration with police backing. It says one of them is a militay persoanl.
Now it up to the government to find out those seboteurs and bring them to justice, says civil socierty activists.