Page 1525 - Week 05 - Tuesday, 14 May 2019
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here in Canberra a multi-faith memorial service and peace vigil was held on 23 April. In a time of grief and sorrow they demonstrated solidarity as a community, coming to pray for the affected families. The following day, 24 April, the Buddhist Vihara Temple in Kambah held a vigil and on 28 April Nationlight Church in Belconnen, a Tamil-based church, hosted a memorial service to pray for those impacted by the attacks.
I also note Canberra’s Sri Lankan Muslim community’s demonstration of unity and commiseration in the days following the attack. On Thursday, 2 May the community hosted a vigil at the Canberra Islamic Centre to recognise the victims. I also note the wonderful work of the High Commission to help the community in this grieving process. The expressions of support for all the victims by different faith communities is a very important part of the recovery process.
Tragically, hundreds of defenceless victims in Sri Lanka were targeted because of their faith. They were chosen by terrorists because of their religion. Whilst these terrorists may have brought about physical destruction, the victims were exercising their religious conviction. At the time of their death they were celebrating the resurrection of Jesus and giving thanks for the eternal hope that they had. There is no place for terrorism, and violent extremism in all its forms must be eradicated. We must remain vigilant in doing all we can to ensure that people of faith who peacefully practise their religion in Australia and abroad are protected and feel comfortable and confident in doing so.
I thank Canberra’s Sri Lankan community for all that they contribute to the capital. We mourn with them and with church communities at this very sad time.
MR RATTENBURY (Kurrajong) (10.12): I rise today on behalf of the ACT Greens to express our deep sympathies to the families and friends of the over 250 people who died as a result of the tragic bombing on Easter Sunday in three churches in Colombo, Negombo and Batticaloa in Sri Lanka, as well as at three hotels in Colombo. As well as these tragic deaths, hundreds of people were physically injured. And through the loss of family members and close friends, thousands of people have been directly affected by these senseless attacks.
For all these attacks to have taken place on a religious holiday, a day so important to people of Christian faith, is abhorrent. A day when so many families gather together to celebrate in peace is not a day when you would expect to lose your friends or family in such hateful acts of violence and murder. The majority of those killed were local Sri Lankans attending church on a significant day for the Christian community. The deaths from the bombings at the three churches are simply tragic. Some were whole families, including many children, or sometimes most of a family, leaving just one survivor.
As well as the significant deaths from the church bombings, many people also died from the bombings of three hotels in Colombo. Around 40 foreigners, including British, Indian, Danish, Dutch, Swiss, Spanish, US, Australian and Turkish citizens, are among the dead. These included families on holidays, professionals such as scientists and engineers, staff working at the hotels and seven political party workers from the Janata Dal (Secular) Party of India on a post-election trip to Sri Lanka.
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