Two weeks after destroying a major mosque in Sri Lanka’s Tamil-dominated north, the government has announced that it has reopened the nation’s border with India.
According to a BBC report, officials said that the decision to reopen the border, which had been closed since India suspended flights to Colombo earlier this month, was made after China offered to repair some of the damage. They also emphasized that they wanted to recover from the tensions created by events in the north, where the government destroyed a mosque during a crackdown on the Tamil minority following riots that took place in August.
It is not clear whether India, which maintains a low profile in Sri Lanka, will resume its flights to Colombo.
Supporters of EPRLF-led protest outside the Sri Lankan border with India after rumors of India suspending flights. Tomorrow is Sep. 9th, this is either the anniversary of the first such incident of 1982 but also my birthday. pic.twitter.com/oH1yhG9VzR — Colombo Friendly (@ColomboFamlys) October 30, 2018
Three months ago, officials justified the decision to destroy the mosque during a military crackdown on an attack on a church in the town of Muttur, which they have since claimed was an “insurrection.” During a visit to Colombo last week, the Indian foreign minister responded to questions about the mosque’s destruction by reiterating that the government was determined to build a strong “cultural relationship.”
Read the full story at the BBC.
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