Sri Lanka Muslim ministers resign en masse after protests

Sri Lanka's Muslim ministers resigned en masse yesterday over widespread hate attacks against their community in the wake of the Easter Sunday bombings that hit the majority Buddhist nation.

The resignation of nine government legislators, several of them cabinet ministers, came after a Buddhist monk lawmaker supporting President Maithripala Sirisena demanded the sacking of three top Muslim politicians.

Demonstrations by several thousand people gripped the central pilgrim city of Kandy as monk Athuraliye Ratana insisted governors of two provinces and a cabinet minister be sacked over their alleged involvement with jihadists responsible for the bombings.

Even as shops and offices were closed in the city 115 kilometres (70 miles) east of Colombo, the two provincial governors stepped down, Sirisena's office said.

Within hours, the nine legislators, belonging to several Muslim and mainstream parties, resigned saying they were giving up their portfolios to ensure free investigations into the Easter attacks.

The nine included Commerce Minister Rishad Bathiudeen, the cabinet minister whose sacking had been demanded by Ratana.

Muslim leaders said their community -- which consists of 10 percent of Sri Lanka's 21 million population -- had become victims of violence, hate speech and harassment since Islamic extremists were held responsible for the bombings.

The ministers who quit yesterday will remain loyal to the government of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, they said in a joint statement.

Sri Lanka is under a state of emergency since the Easter attacks.