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Rishad says Ceylon Chamber kept mum amidst Muslim boycott campaign

01 Aug 2019

Reappointed Minister of Industry and Commerce Rishad Bathiudeen has accused Sri Lanka's premier business chamber, the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, of keeping mum during the boycott of and attacks on Muslim owned businesses in the aftermath of the Easter Sunday attacks.

“It was very sad for me to see the silence of Chamber of Commerce as the backlash on Muslim owned businesses raged” said the Minister of Industry, Commerce, Resettlement of Protracted Displaced Persons, Cooperative Development, Skills Development & Vocational Training Rishad Bathiudeen on 30 July at his Ministry office in Colombo 3.

Bathiudeen made these comments while addressing the staff of his Ministry after re-assuming his duties on 30 July, his first official address after re-assuming duties. “As various communal elements openly encouraged local consumers to not to buy anything from Muslim owned businesses in the aftermath of Easter Sunday attacks, the Chamber of Commerce kept totally mum. The Chamber should have come out and openly voiced that no one should take such revenge actions on Muslim owned businesses as a response to the barbaric actions of terrorists like Zahran” said Minister Bathiudeen, and added: “You all know there were violence in places like Kurunegala, Hettipola and Minuwangoda where 29 mosques were damaged and so many Muslim owned businesses were destroyed leaving those families depending on the businesses also destitute,” he said.

On May 14, communal violence spread in the North-Western Province damaging mostly Muslim owned businesses and SMEs. 196 such businesses were damaged by violence in Kurunegala and Gampaha Districts, according to the UK based Muslim Aid. The highest number of damaged businesses were in Wariyapola at 80, in the Kurunegala District.

Minister Bathiudeen also added: “Muslim countries stood with Sri Lanka when the human rights investigations were pursued by Geneva. At that time former President Mahinda Rajapaksa sent me and some other Muslim Ministers to visit Muslim countries to canvass their support to Sri Lanka, and we got their assistance-along with various types of reliefs from them as well. At the end of the war, Sri Lanka could not afford to buy crude oil since we were short of cash and after Muslim Parliamentarians’ request, Iran stepped in to give Sri Lanka crude oil for six months on credit, to the value of $250 Mn.”

Bathiudeen stepped down from his portfolio in June 2019 with other Muslim Ministers, and was re-appointed on 29 July. His Ministry oversees such institutions as Sathosa, Lanka Sathosa, the Consumer Affairs Authority, Department of Weights and Measurements, National Enterprise Development Authority, the Registrar of Companies and the Department of Commerce.

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