The May 2001 Riots in Mawanella: A Sociological Account
Date
2001-11-16
Authors
Silva, K. T.
Saif Deen, N. T. M.
Gunasekera, A. M. A. S.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
Abstract
The riots that broke out in the Mawanella town on May 2, 2001 took most people by surprise.
First, these riots had no apparent relation to the ongoing civil war in Sri Lanka. Second, the riots
developed from a confrontation between Sinhala and Muslim elements within the Mawanella
bazaar. Given the peaceful relations that had so far prevailed between the two communities,
these riots came as a shock to many people. Third, in terms of their possible impact on the future
course of ethnic relations in the country the Mawanella riots and similar eruptions around Hatton
following the Bindunuwewa incident last year can be seen as the most significant chain of riots
Sri Lanka since the nation wide outbreak of anti-Tamil riots in July 1983. Fourth, the
Mawanella riots led to a chain of events that finally brought about the downfall of the regime in
power.
Using available reports and preliminary field inquiries, this paper examines factors
contributing to the outbreak of riots in Mawanella in May 2001. Media accounts and some
"official inquiries" into these events have sought to apportion the blame among various actors
including the thugs, their political masters and the police. While the specific role of these
various actors must be examined in any investigation of the relevant events, undue attention on
trigger factors (i.e. those that sparked the initial confrontation) tends to under emphasize the
underlying causes of the riots. This paper explores why a seemingly private dispute between two
narrowly defined parties (extortionist thugs versus owners of /workers in certain business
houses) quickly turned into a riot where the battle lines were clearly drawn along ethnic lines.
Also it must be noted that the Mawanella riots were not an isolated event but a culmination of a
series of tremors that surfaced in Mawanella and nearby locations.
In trying to identify the underlying causes of the Mawanella riots, attention must be
drawn to a pattern of population distribution. While the Muslims vastly outnumber the Sinhalas
a narrowly defined urban corridor (bazaar), the pattern is reversed in the surrounding rural
hinterland-where the Sinhalas are an overwhelming majority. This, in turn, is related to a pattern
business competition where a heavy Muslim domination in business has come under some
chalenge from an emerging layer of Sinhala entrepreneurs with the strong backing of certain
politicians. Even though each ethnic group is internally divided along class lines, a rising
.c fervor has guided business competition and political action. Within this context all that
needed to spark a major communal disturbance were some unlawful Anti-Muslim acts of
thugs who obviously enjoyed police protection. As in all other ethnic riots vicious rumour played a
major role in inciting the two communities against each other. The Mawanella riots point to the
for law enforcement machinery, the police in particular, to be more sensitive to ethnic
relations and to reflect the ethnic heterogeneity of each area in its composition. More
importantly, community and school based programmes are needed to promote mutual
understanding and to diffuse any existing tensions between ethnic communities.
Description
Keywords
Art , Riots , Mawanella , Sociological
Citation
Proceedings & abstracts of the Annual Research Sessions 2001,University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka,pp.29