Sri Lankan southern town tense after communal riots leave 3 dead

Hundreds of army, police and police special forces deployed in the southern Sri Lankan town of Aluthgama dispersed a large Buddhist mob on Monday as communal riot that killed three and wounded about 80 continued despite an indefinite curfew.

Rioting engulfed Aluthgama and the adjoining town of Beruwala on Sunday afternoon following a rally held by Buddhist hardline group Bodu Bala Sena (BBS). Eyewitnesses in the area told Xinhua that thousands of people who attended the rally, most from areas outside of the region, went on a rampage on Sunday evening torching dozens of shops and houses.

When Xinhua correspondents visited the area, all shops were closed as the area was under a complete lockdown by armed forces. Busloads of police and army were scattered around the towns with armored trucks parked on the roadside. All shops in the two towns were closed but the main road through the towns remained open allowing traffic to pass.

Despite the heavy police and army presence, tension remains high with people of both Buddhist and Muslim religions wary of more communal riots. Buddhist mobs had picked and attacked over 20 shops along the main road of the two towns with some still exhibiting smoke.

Strewn glass of display cases and twisted metal of what was previously a bicycle repair shop littered the roadside. The blackened skeleton of a torched van lay on the road leading to the Muslim village of Darga, which was the scene of the riot that started on Sunday.

"This was a small incident that was blown out of proportion by the BBS. All this was caused by people who came from other areas. A lot of Muslim businesses and families have been affected. We call on the government to restore peace and prevent incidents like this happening again," Urban Council member P.M. Usman told Xinhua.

Over a thousand Muslim people, mostly women and children, have gathered at the Al-Humaisara Central College in Beruwala. Most are from small villages on the outskirts of the town and they said they were too afraid to go home.

"Muslim and Buddhist people in this area have lived together peacefully here for many years. But now Muslim people are afraid. We have gathered here together because we are too scared to stay at home. Tonight the women and children will stay here but the men will go to protect their homes. Because all shops are closed there isn't even a place to buy food for all these people," the school's principal A.R.M Rizwie told Xinhua.

Mosques in the area have also been placed under army protection for fear of attacks. Residents also reported at least 15 houses were burnt. As clashes intensified, army and police Special Forces were rushed into Darga Township to disperse Buddhist and Muslim mobs.

The area has been simmering with communal tension for over two months with various incidents being reported.

Tensions escalated last week when police arrested three persons after the driver of a car carrying a Buddhist monk was allegedly assaulted, which subsequently led to an assault on the monk.

Last Thursday, angry mobs surrounded the police station and attacked several Muslim-owned shops in the area with stones and other objects, prompting police to use tear gas on the crowd.

Police were pelted with stones before a heavy contingent of riot police restored peace.

The latest clashes were sparked by Buddhist extremist group BBS, which held a rally on Sunday in Aluthgama and arrived in the Muslims dominated Dharga Town in a vehicle convoy.

The group was planning to demonstrate across the town to the temple of the monk who was assaulted three days ago.

The Muslims in the town had reportedly pelted stones at the BBS convoy and the BBS in retaliation had pelted stones at the Muslims, triggering a communal clash between the Sinhalese and Muslims in the town.

Police Special Forces had to use water cannons and tear gas to bring the situation under control, local media reported.

However, BBS was quick to downplay its role in the clashes. BBS General Secretary Galagodaaththe Gnanasara Thero told reporters in Colombo that no racially inflammatory speeches had been made and the BBS had urged for peace between the two communities.

"All these allegations are false. We simply went there to support a fellow monk. We did not nor have we ever done anything to disrupt communal harmony," he stressed.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Embassy condemned the violence that has spread over the weekend in Aluthgama and Beruwela.