Regina man shocked and saddened by attacks in Sri Lanka

A Regina man who once called Sri Lanka home said peace was going so well in the country, lasting 10 years after three decades of civil war.

“We were happy to have all the life back, all the families from Canada, U.S., Europe visiting them, no checkpoints, people were very happy,” said Raj Kumaran.

“Sri Lanka is a paradise … very beautiful beaches and people are very nice.”

Kumaran, who has lived in Regina for 25 years, said he was shocked and saddened to hear about the suicide bombings that killed at least 290 people on Sunday. He has siblings in the country but they were not near the attacks.

The main two ethnic groups that make up the country are the Sinhalese majority and Tamils, he said, with the dominant religion being Buddhism, followed by Hinduism, Islam and Christianity.

Kumaran said he is worried about those that would use the attacks to cause strife between groups. However, he believes the people are sick of fighting.

“Sri Lankan people want peace because they didn’t have it for 30 years,” he said. “I don’t think they want to have this communal fight amongst each other anymore. They want to live peacefully.”

“These people should just live peacefully, love each other regardless of race, religion and language. That’s what I’m hoping for.”