As a nation that endured a brutal war we are all aware of the values of peace, respect, unity & freedom. The Govt condemns the racist & violent acts that have taken place over the last few days. A state of emergency has been declared & we will not hesitate to take further action.

— Ranil Wickremesinghe (@RW_UNP) March 6, 2018

We are taking action to enforce law & order to ensure security across the Kandy district. The armed forces, STF & police have been deployed & instructed to be prepared to control any kind of tension. I appeal to the public to act peacefully to safeguard law & order in your areas.

— Ranil Wickremesinghe (@RW_UNP) March 7, 2018

Strong anti-Muslim violence took place in the Kandy district by Buddhists.  This radical movement portrays the harsh religious divide plaguing Sri Lanka.  The conflict heightened after a Buddhist man was severely beaten by Muslims  a week prior to the Buddhist response.  A BBC article cites many mosques, shops, vehicles, and residencies were damaged in the Buddhist aggression.  In a response to this, a state of emergency was declared in Sri Lanka,  and even went so far to say that Muslims are living in fear.  In an attempt to combat this, a cabinet official claims that action will be taken against hate speech posts on social media.

As with any ethnic, religious or primordial strife between two parties, conflict will always exist.   I wonder exactly how the government plans to attack this issue, with these things considered.  I believe the ability of the government is limited by nature of the conflict.  Although they may be able to police social media posts and place police and security forces in threatened areas, I do not see the government as having a significant ability to control the conflict.  The majority of Sri Lankans are Buddhists with only a small portion of the population as Muslims.  Considering this significant gap, I respect the government for attempting to protect all of its citizens, regardless of religious affiliation.  I do not see a better way of dealing with it than how they are, but I do not believe this is the ultimate solution.  The government can only keep security forces in place for so long, but the divide will exist for long after they are removed.

 

Help Received:  http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-43300913?intlink_from_url=http://www.bbc.com/news/topics/cywd23g0gxgt/sri-lanka&link_location=live-reporting-story

This article was used for the contextual information provided in my analysis of the tweets.

I implore you, the reader, to entertain this story so that you may understand the grave situation with which we are currently presented.  The tiger population of Sri Lanka is suffering.  Persecuted by poachers, they have been removed from and denied their land so that they may no longer exist peacefully in the region they consider home.  These creatures serve as a national symbol for Sri Lanka, with their vibrant colors and passionate nature.  The poachers have cruelly sought out and eradicated as much of the indigenous tiger population as their ability would allow, and have considered these naturally docile animals no more than an infestation:  a surface nuisance.  Just like the rest of us, Sri Lanka is the home for these tigers and it is and has been as much their land as much as the rest of ours.  I call on the population of Sri Lanka to consider the poachers’ oppression of this fragile species as an attack not only on this endangered species but an attack on the identity and well-being of our state.  I pose you the question:  what next?  If these unpoliced poachers are not held accountable for these unjust and immoral actions, what is to stop them from moving on to the next species?  They will continue to dilute the national identity, starting with our tiger population.  I ask that you all look to these poachers in Colombo, stand up for what is right, and save not only our tiger population, but the future of Sri Lanka.  Thank you all.

 

Help Received: Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam Wikipedia page for contextual information on the conflict

The Sri Lankan gym Osmo put up a billboard that blatantly body shamed women.  The ad displayed a picture of a 55 gallon drum with a caption stating “this is no shape for a woman.”  Citizens of the city quickly turned to social media criticizing the gym for posting such an ad.  Activists claimed this type of advertisement is typical of the modern advertising industry toward women.  The gym was contacted and urged to take down the billboard due to its inappropriate insinuation of what the female body should look like, but the company refused to remove the ad.  Only after contacting the minister of Kotte, in which the billboard is located, was billboard covered up.  As reparation, those who contacted Harsha de Silva, the minister, were permitted to place an ad speaking out against sexism where the body-shaming ad once stood.  Additionally, de Silva took to social media, condemning sexism.  However, the removal of the ad did not come without backlash:  some perceived the removal of the ad as a violation of free speech.  After only a day of displaying the ad against sexism, it was removed anonymously.  Osmo gym put out a statement in which they explained they had stopped using the sexist ad, and explained a WHO (World Health Organization) report on obesity among Sri Lankan women served as the motive for the ad.  They apologized for offending anyone.

I found it interesting that the backlash on social media had such an effective impact.  It sheds a new light on civil society in Sri Lanka, whose Freedom House scores only reported it as “partially free.”  Personally, I would not have expected the backlash to have been successful for these reasons.  It demonstrates society’s ability to hold those accountable for social injustice and could set a precedent for the future.  It signifies a possibility for future change in the country, and is important due to its grassroots demonstration of vertical accountability through the use of social media.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-42788799?intlink_from_url=http://www.bbc.com/news/topics/cywd23g0gxgt/sri-lanka&link_location=live-reporting-story