Industry and Commerce Minister Rishad Bathiudeen denied social media accusations that he invited Myanmar’s Rohingya refugees to come into Sri Lanka yesterday.
He said those far-flung accusations were part of an operation by some sinister political elements that are trying to fan the flames of communalism.
“I have already lodged a complaint with the Criminal Investigation Department regarding this,” the minister said.“I have called the CID on Saturday to investigate into social media posts that quoted me as saying that I made any statement nearly as calling Myanmar’s Rohingya refugees into Sri Lanka,” he said.
“Some social media websites has alluded that I have promised citizenship to Myanmar refugees,” Bathiudeen said.”I am not the President of this country. I have no capacity to offer citizenship to anyone.”
“This was all total fabrications carried out with a purpose to cause discord between Muslims and the Sinhalese public,” he pointed out.
“They have gone on to instigate the public to surround my official residence in Colombo over this malicious news.They staged a picket over this story they had invented over the social media,” he said.
Meanwhile, sources at the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Wayamba Development and Cultural Affairs said , the country has not admitted any Rohingya refugees from Myanmar.
However, the Rohingya refugees had come to the country previously on three occasions. Even they had left the country, the sources said. They came to be handed over to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, they said.