‘Strongly condemn dangerous act’-Rishad

• Rishad visits gutted Muslim shop in Mawanella

• Requests Police for prompt action

Minister of Industry and Commerce Rishad Bathiudeen on 19 May said that he condemns the alleged torching of a Muslim owned business in Mawanella on 18 May.

Minister Bathiudeen visited the torched site on the eve of 18 May.

Minister Bathiudeen states:

“The hardware shop owned by a Muslim in Mawanella was torched on 18 May. When I visited the location of incident, the Muslims of the area informed me that this was an intentional act by anti-Muslim elements to create tension between communities. I have instructed the Police in the area to take necessary action and to forward the incident to the government analyst immediately. We also call the authorities to initiate immediate action and investigations to find the offenders. There have been several such acts in various other parts of the country targeting Muslim businesses. Such acts appear to be instigated in order to destroy the valuable peace that dawned in the aftermath of the 2009 victory of HE the President Mahinda Rajapaksa. I and my party, ACMC, strongly condemn this dangerous trend.”