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AS IT IS
Sri Lanka: Easter Bombings Answer Attacks in New Zealand
April 23, 2019
People react during a mass burial of victims, two days after a string of suicide bomb attacks on Easter Sunday, at a cemetery near St. Sebastian Church in Negombo, Sri Lanka, April 23, 2019. (REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha)
The Islamic State group claimed responsibility today for the Easter attacks in Sri Lanka. A top Sri Lankan official also said investigators believed the bombings answered attacks on two mosques in New Zealand last month.
Neither source gave evidence for its claim. However, Reuters reported that the Islamic State named who it said were the seven bombers that carried out the attack.
Link to New Zealand?
The Easter attacks in Sri Lanka involved a series of organized suicide bombings, mostly on churches and hotels. More than 300 people were killed, and more than 500 injured.
The junior minister for defense spoke to Parliament about the attacks. He said the government had information that the bombings were carried out “by an Islamic fundamentalist group” in an answer to the New Zealand mosque attacks.
He did not say why officials believed the bombings were linked to the violence in New Zealand. That attack was carried out by a single white supremacist gunman.
The junior minister for defense also blamed “weakness” within Sri Lanka’s security operations for failing to prevent the nine bombings.
Reuters reported that India warned Sri Lankan intelligence that Islamic extremists were planning attacks. That information did not get to the prime minister’s office until after the attacks. The country has been in political turmoil for months.
Sri Lanka deals with the attacks
Security in the capital city, Colombo, increased Tuesday for a national day of mourning. The military used special powers to make arrests. Special-power arrests have not been made since the end of the civil war in 2009.
Sri Lankan officials announced a nationwide curfew would begin at 9 p.m. Tuesday. The government has also blocked most social media since the attacks.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe promised to use “all necessary powers” to arrest those responsible.
Officials said they knew where the group trained, but did not identify any of the seven suicide bombers. Their bodies were recovered. All seven bombers were Sri Lankans, but officials said they strongly suspected foreign links.
The reason for the attacks is unclear. Most of the 21 million people who live in Sri Lanka are Buddhist. But some are Hindu, Muslim or Christian.
Anti-Muslim ideas have been spread by Buddhist nationalists in the country recently. Sri Lanka, though, has no history of Islamic militancy. And its small Christian community has seen very few problems.
But for some this week, the violence destroyed whole families. On Easter Sunday, Berlington Joseph Gomez and his wife, Chandrika Arumugam, went to church at Colombo’s St. Anthony’s Shrine. They brought their three sons: 9-year-old Bevon, 6-year-old Clavon and baby Avon, just 11 months old.
Two days later, they were all being mourned by neighbors gathered at the modest home of Berlington’s father, Joseph Gomez.
“All family, all generation, is lost,” Gomez said.
I’m Susan Shand.
The Associated Press and the Reuters News Agency reported this story. Susan Shand adapted it for VOA Learning English. Kelly Jean Kelly was the editor.
Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.
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Words in This Story
mosque – n. a building that is used for Muslim religious services
fundamentalist – n. someone who believes in a literal interpretation of the Bible
supremacist – n. one who thinks he is superior to other races or religions
turmoil – n. a time of great problems
mourn – v. to be sad that someone has died
curfew – n. an order or law that requires people to be indoors after a certain time at night
AS IT IS
How Much Money Should be Spent on Historic Buildings?
Flames rise from Notre Dame cathedral as it burns in Paris, Monday, April 15, 2019. Massive plumes of yellow brown smoke is filling the air above Notre Dame Cathedral and ash is falling on tourists and others around the island that marks the center of Par
The fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris has raised questions about the condition of thousands of other cathedrals and historic structures across Europe. It also raises questions about whether European governments are doing enough to keep up and care for such buildings.
Critics suggest that a culture of indifference to aging, world famous buildings could undermine a shared history and Europe’s tourism industry.
Tibor Navracsics is the European Union’s top culture official. He told The Associated Press that "we are so used to our outstanding cultural heritage in Europe that we tend to forget that it needs constant care and attention."
Some people say the fire last week was a wake-up call, not just for Europe, but the whole world.
Sneska Quaedvlieg-Mihailovicis heads the heritage group Europa Nostra. She said it was “as if Notre Dame decided to set itself on fire to ring the alarm bell. As if she wanted to sacrifice herself for the cause.”
Large fires have long robbed humanity of knowledge, art and treasures. One example is the fire at the famous library of Alexandria in northern Egypt.
Didier Rykner works for the French magazine La Tribune de l'Art. Rykner knows of no actual list of historic buildings destroyed by fire. But he added that France sees "several fires every year in historic buildings, which is already way too much."
In 2015, the German engineering company Siemens found that Scotland had about 10 damaging fires a year, while England lost at least a dozen listed buildings a year. In Germany, 70 historic buildings have been destroyed since 2000.
And all too often, fires happen while old structures are being repaired.
The Glasgow School of Art’s Mackintosh Building, for example, was heavily damaged by fire last year. It was the second large fire in four years as workers neared the end of a multimillion dollar restoration project.
Experts say that what is needed is continuous attention and maintenance. These steps, if taken, could help avoid the need for major restoration work.
But regular attention and maintenance costs money.
Part of the problem comes from austerity budgets approved by governments after the 2008 financial crisis and Europe's subsequent debt crisis.
The EU itself set aside $5.28 billion for restorations in the 2014-2020 financial budget. Individual EU states also spend money on repairs.
But as state financing dries up, governments are increasingly looking for private donors to keep up historic structures.
In recent years, Tod’s luxury shoes provided money for repairs at Italy’s Coliseum. Fendi fashion house helped the Trevi Fountain in Rome, and Diesel backed improvements for the Rialto bridge in Venice.
“We do need to invest more, but this is a shared responsibility for governments, businesses and citizens across Europe,” said the EU’s Tibor Navracsics.
Some say world-renowned monuments like Notre Dame are the driving force behind tourism and should get more respect.
Quaedvlieg-Mihailovicis noted the importance of such respect. “Cultural heritage is a gold mine. You cannot exploit it and then just leave the mine and go to another one. It is something you really have to cherish,” she said.
I'm John Russell.
And I'm Alice Bryant.
Raf Casert reported this story for the Associated Press. John Russell adapted it for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor.
_______________________________________________________________
Words in This Story
undermine – v. to lessen the effectiveness or ability of someone or something
tourism – adj. of or relating to businesses and operations of vacations and places of interest
heritage – n. valued objects and qualities, such as historic buildings
bell – n. a musical instrument, usually made of metal
library – n. a building containing a collection of books and sometimes videos, for people to read or borrow
dozen – n. a group of 12
restoration – n. the act of returning something to its former place or condition
maintenance – n. the act or process of keeping something in good condition
austerity – n. economic conditions designed to reduce a budget deficit
cherish – v. to feel or show great love for (someone or something)
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AS IT IS
Myanmar High Court Rejects Final Appeal of Jailed Journalists
In this combination image made from two photos, Reuters journalists Kyaw Soe Oo, left, and Wa Lone, are handcuffed as they are escorted by police out of the court Monday, Sept. 3, 2018, in Yangon, Myanmar. (AP Photo/Thein Zaw)
Myanmar’s top court rejected Tuesday the final appeal of two Reuters journalists jailed while working on an investigation into the killing of 10 Rohingya Muslim men and boys.
The Supreme Court’s decision upheld seven-year prison sentences for Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo. The court did not give a reason for its ruling, which was quickly condemned by rights groups.
The two reporters were arrested in December 2017 and sentenced last September. They were charged with illegally possessing official documents. The documents related to security operations taking place in the western state of Rakhine.
In August 2017, suspected Rohingya militants launched attacks against state security forces in Rakhine. In answer, government troops carried out attacks against the rebels and their supporters. About 700,000 Rohingya fled the area to escape the violence. Most are now living in refugee camps in neighboring Bangladesh.
The United Nations has described the Myanmar military operation as a well-organized example of ethnic cleansing. Myanmar officials have denied the military carried out human rights abuses. It said the campaign was necessary to defend against attacks by Rohingya militants.
The chief legal officer for Reuters, Gail Gove, reacted to the court’s rejection of the appeal. "Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo did not commit any crime, nor was there any proof that they did," Gove said.
She added: "Instead, they were victims of a police set-up to silence their truthful reporting. We will continue to do all we can to free them as soon as possible."
Phil Robertson is the deputy Asia director for New York-based Human Rights Watch. He repeated the organization’s opposition to the legal actions against the two reporters, who in his words, were just “doing their jobs as investigative journalists.”
“Sadly, when it comes to media freedom, both Myanmar’s military and the civilian government seem equally determined to extinguish any ability to question their misrule and rights violations,” Robertson said.
The two were not present for Tuesday’s decision, but their wives were. Kyaw Soe Oo’s wife, Chit Su, broke down in tears when the ruling was read. “Both he and I hoped for the best,” she told reporters. “I am terribly sad for this decision.”
A lawyer for the two journalists in Myanmar said the pair could still seek their freedom by appealing directly to the president’s office or Myanmar’s legislature. The president could reduce the sentence, order a retrial or have the two men released. Legislative action would require a longer, more complex process.
Rights groups have urged Myanmar's civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi to use her influence to intervene in the case. But so far, she has not done so.
The investigation the journalists were working on was completed by other Reuters employees and published in 2018. The coverage was recently awarded the Pulitzer Prize for international reporting.
I’m Bryan Lynn.
Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on reports from the Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse. Hai Do was the editor.
We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.
_____________________________________________________________
Words in This Story
determined – adj. strong desire to do or complete something
extinguish – v. to stop something
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