[Prosthetic Conscience]

Summary:
At least six blasts have hit hotels and churches across Sri Lanka with at least 137 dead and many more injured
The five-star Shangri La, Kingsbury and Cinnamon Grand hotels in the heart of Colombo were targeted
Congregations were taking part in Easter Sunday services at the churches when the blasts hit
The death toll could rise significantly as hospitals report casualty figures

Live updates:
The death toll is rising quickly and the latest count puts the number of dead at 137. Hundreds more have been injured and are being treated in hospitals around the country.

A reporter for the BBC's Sinhala Service, Azzam Ameen, is at the scene of one of the attacks, at Saint Anthony's Church in Colombo.

He says: "No one was expecting it, it was a peaceful Sunday morning – everyone was going for their Easter Sunday prayers and then suddenly, this attack.

"I’ve spoken to several priests who were in the church and they were really shocked. The intelligence police too – they were shocked. It was a well planned, well-coordinated attack.

"I’ve spoken to the security chief who was there and they are really clueless at the moment. It’s too early to say who is behind it.

"After the Tamil Tigers, who were eradicated in 2009, Sri Lanka hasn’t really seen this kind of incident – Sri Lankans are shocked at the moment.

"Security has been tightened in all the major cities as there is some panic – expecting more attacks."

A very large attack, coordinated in 4 separate places :

At least 137 people have been killed and hundreds more injured in explosions at churches and hotels in Sri Lanka, police and hospital sources say.

At least six explosions have been reported. Three churches in Kochchikade, Negombo and Batticaloa were targeted during Easter services.

The Shangri La, Cinnamon Grand and Kingsbury hotels, all in Colombo, were also hit.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-48001720

[Ter]

RT mentions 160 killed, hundreds injured

Speculating that it could be done by some revived Tamil Tigers.
But why attack Christian churches ?

[Prosthetic Conscience]

The authorities there don't seem to have any idea at all yet. Some Tamil Tigers were Christians themselves, and the Christians are a small minority in the country (7% was a figure I found), so they aren't held as connected with the government. But I haven't heard of significant Muslim terrorism there (they're another minority, and have been the target of violence themselves - but, again, you wouldn't expect them to retaliate against Christians for that, but against the majority Buddhists). So many coordinated attacks seems hard for a foreign group to do, undetected.

[fuser]

Tamil Tigers can't be behind this, if they are it will be surprising, my gut feeling says some radical sinhalese Buddhist group but then haven't really heard of much tension between them and christians in Srilanka. It's really a mystery and no one has yet came forward taking the blame.

There were reports circulating that unnamed foreign intelligence service had warned Srilanka that NTJ a radical Muslim group is planning such an attack but later that document was found to be fake.

Also we shouldn't discard the possibility that may be this attack is not religiously motivated but damn 10 years of peace and suddenly this happens out of nowhere.

[Sivad]

The five-star Shangri La, Kingsbury and Cinnamon Grand hotels in the heart of Colombo were targeted

Those poor people, they were just trying live as lavishly as possible right in front of the brutal oppression and crushing mass poverty and some maniac had to resent their oblivious decadence and blow them up. Oh, the humaineety.

[Rich]

Occasional violence by majority groups like we saw in New Zealand recently is nothing to worry about politically. Its a police matter. Its quite normal to get occasional violent attacks by majority ethnicities and religions. In this situation, both Buddhists and Hindus can see themselves as majority groups. This is similar to Northern Ireland where both sides can see themselves as the majority group.

On the other hand if this attack is by a minority group it requires a severe response, limiting or possibly even removing the minority group from which the offenders came. When small minority groups start bombing you, you need to be worried. You need to ask how are they going to behave when they become a majority or a plurality.

The problem with Jewish supremacism is it has led to this obsession with Palestinian violence. Aside from Saudi Arabia, Palestine is the Muslims longest (although not unbroken) occupation. Palestine is the Muslims best claim to be the majority indigenous group. I don't condemn Muslims for their behaviour in Palestine, no I condemn them for their behaviour over fourteen centuries throughout the rest of the world.

[fuser]

As usual rich, you are smoking some strong shit, in what fucking world Hindus and Buddhist became simultaneously majority in Srilanka, even the brutal decades long civil war can't prove otherwise to people like you because you have to build your bullshit "oh no Muslims" into every fucking thing.

[Prosthetic Conscience]

No one has claimed responsibility for the attacks but Sri Lanka’s defence minister, Ruwan Wijewardene, said the culprits had been identified and were religious extremists. An official told the Associated Press that two blasts were suspected to have been the work of suicide bombers.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/ ... now-so-far

It doesn't say what religion, though. I have no idea if Wijewardene is the kind of guy the spout off before knowing facts or not.

[ness31]

There isn’t really any way to escape the religious aspect. It’s Easter ffs

[Zionist Nationalist]

Who wanna place a bet thats its the religion of peace and tolerance?

maybe not but very likely. looks like ISIS style attack

Edit: yep its definetly Muslims
religion of peace is at it again
where all those crybabies that shouted about the dangers of "white terrorism"? thats nothing compared to Islamic terrorism

[Rich]

As usual rich, you are smoking some strong shit, in what fucking world Hindus and Buddhist became simultaneously majority in Srilanka,

Hindus are the majority in the Indian sub conflict. There are many conflicts where more than one ethnicity can claim to be in the majority depending on the size of the area that one focuses on. So in Iraq the Shia could claim to be the majority religion in Iraq, but Sunnis could claim to be the majority religion amongst Arabs and in the region.

If you are going to criticise someone's post its good to at least put a user reference, so they are notified and can choose whether to respond.

[ness31]

If one had to judge, and one is loathe to judge you would have to say ZN is probably right. Right?

I will be genuinely (but not pleasantly) surprised if it is otherwise

Would one be wrong in assuming Western targets in Sri Lanka are soft targets? I don’t know much about Sri Lanka except for the Tamil thing.. thought they’d be pretty good with the whole terror plague to be honest ..

[Rich]

Can we rush to judgment and say that this attack is not the work of Zionists or White supremacist neo Nazis. Lefties have consistently argued that the greatest threat in the world today is White suprematist Nazis. The conspiracists have consistently argued that the greatest threat in the world today is Zionist Jews. It is my contention that this attack will prove to support the case that they are both full of shit.

[ness31]

The greatest threat we face today is fear. I don’t wake up in the morning frightened of a terror attack to be honest. I fear fear itself and the crippling effect it has on people around me.

[fuser]

So according to you @Rich , Hindus are the majority in Indian subcontinent then it will make Buddhist a minority in the subcontinent. How the hell you came to the bullshit conclusion that only Muslims can be minority here.

This is utter nonsense, Buddhist are the majority in Srilanka, don't deny the obvious reality just so that you can go on another one of your "oh no Muslims" tirade.

[Ter]

Buddhist are the majority in Srilanka, don't deny the obvious reality just so that you can go on another one of your "oh no Muslims" tirade.

It's OK, I am happy he is not talking about the Jews for a second

[Zionist Nationalist]

most likely it was an easy target for them thats why the attack was conducted in sri lanka dont think it have anything to do with ethnic tensions there as the target were tourists

ISIS have collaborators everywhere and its easier for them to operate in third world countries

[ness31]

ugh, it’s all become a bit mundane this bullshit terror stuff. what’s wrong with a traditional war where everyone knows what’s going on and there’s ever so slightly less room for obfuscation..

[SSDR]

Fuck ISIS. They are one of my biggest enemies in today's world.

[Suntzu]

Can't possibly be the work of peaceful Muslims!