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Prevent recurrence of violence, Chilaw residents request
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Police barricades and an abundance of CCTV cameras in the Puttalam town helped ward off destruction
As parts of the North Western Province hit by violence return to normal, the plea of the residents is that all measures should be taken to prevent a similar situation from reccurring.
A businessman posting content on social media, seemingly supporting terrorist activities in Chilaw, created tension in the town and among its inhabitants. No inquiry was made by the police into this even after several young people complained to the police about these posts. Angered by the lack of action, an angry crowd started behaving in a confrontational manner around the evening of May 12.
The unrest spread to Nattandiya and Kottaramulla areas, and to the Kurunegala District.
A deserted street: Life is hardly back to normal
Reports show that the destruction caused by angry crowds in Chilaw, Nattandiya, Kottaramulla and Dankotuwa in the Puttalam District did not spread to the Puttalam town.
There were several reasons given for this. The first being that the ethnic groups in the area shared positive relationships with each other. Secondly, there are CCTV cameras covering the entire town. Thirdly, there was a security procedure effectively implemented in the town.
Commenting on this, Puttalam police chief J A Chandrasena said: “We had implemented a good security procedure in Puttalam town, including barricades. Also, there are good relations between different ethnic groups, so there were no conflicts.”
According to police reports, the suspects arrested for causing damage to property include 36 from Koswatta and 35 from Chilaw. They were produced in the Marawila and Chilaw courts.
Pix and text by Hiran Priyakara Jayasinghe
Shops were closed after the mayhem