Sri Lanka buries first Covid-19 victims after long standoff | The Business Standard
Skip to main content
  • Home
  • Economy
    • Aviation
    • Banking
    • Bazaar
    • Budget
    • Industry
    • NBR
    • RMG
    • Corporates
  • Stocks
  • Analysis
  • World+Biz
  • Sports
  • Features
    • Book Review
    • Brands
    • Earth
    • Explorer
    • Food
    • Habitat
    • In Focus
    • Luxury
    • Mode
    • Panorama
    • Pursuit
    • Wheels
  • Epaper
    • GOVT. Ad
  • More
    • Subscribe
    • Videos
    • TBS Graduates
    • Thoughts
    • Splash
    • Bangladesh
    • Supplement
    • Infograph
    • Archive
    • COVID-19
    • Long Read
    • Interviews
    • Offbeat
    • Tech
    • Magazine
  • বাংলা
The Business Standard

Thursday
December 07, 2023

Sign In
Subscribe
  • Home
  • Economy
    • Aviation
    • Banking
    • Bazaar
    • Budget
    • Industry
    • NBR
    • RMG
    • Corporates
  • Stocks
  • Analysis
  • World+Biz
  • Sports
  • Features
    • Book Review
    • Brands
    • Earth
    • Explorer
    • Food
    • Habitat
    • In Focus
    • Luxury
    • Mode
    • Panorama
    • Pursuit
    • Wheels
  • Epaper
    • GOVT. Ad
  • More
    • Subscribe
    • Videos
    • TBS Graduates
    • Thoughts
    • Splash
    • Bangladesh
    • Supplement
    • Infograph
    • Archive
    • COVID-19
    • Long Read
    • Interviews
    • Offbeat
    • Tech
    • Magazine
  • বাংলা
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 07, 2023
Sri Lanka buries first Covid-19 victims after long standoff

Coronavirus chronicle

Hindustan Times
06 March, 2021, 09:20 am
Last modified: 06 March, 2021, 09:31 am

Related News

  • Why policy rate hikes fail to cool inflation in Bangladesh but worked in Sri Lanka
  • Strong earthquake tremors of magnitude 6.2 jolt Sri Lanka
  • ICC suspends Sri Lanka's membership over government interference
  • Sri Lanka: From Don'ts to an example of Dos
  • Bangladesh loan gave immense relief from socioeconomic pressures: Sri Lanka's central bank governor 

Sri Lanka buries first Covid-19 victims after long standoff

The government last month revised a gazette notification issued in April last year. The new notification allowed both burials and cremations

Hindustan Times
06 March, 2021, 09:20 am
Last modified: 06 March, 2021, 09:31 am
The Sri Lanka government last month revised a gazette notification issued in April last year. The new notification allowed both burials and cremations.(REUTERS)
The Sri Lanka government last month revised a gazette notification issued in April last year. The new notification allowed both burials and cremations.(REUTERS)

Sri Lanka ended its forced cremation policy by allowing the burial of two persons who succumbed to the Covid-19 pandemic, Army chief Gen Shavendra Silva said on Friday.

Amidst mounting international criticism, Sri Lanka revised a controversial mandatory order to cremate the bodies of Covid-19 victims, which denied minority communities, including Muslims, their religious rights.

The government last month revised a gazette notification issued in April last year. The new notification allowed both burials and cremations.

The Business Standard Google News Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel

"Today we buried two of them and there will be five more to be buried," Silva told reporters.

He said the burials were allowed as per the guidelines for burials issued by the Director General Health Services on Thursday.

The government did not allow burials for almost a year despite protests from the country's Muslim and Christian religious minorities.

The policy was also condemned by international rights groups who urged the government to follow the guidelines on Covid-19 dead bodies issued by the WHO, which recommended both cremations and burials.

The government allowed burials late last month. However, the implementation was held back until the health authorities issued guidelines.

The government's designated burial site at Iranathivu islet in the north eastern region faced opposition from the residents.

On Friday, two Muslim-dominated local councils in the eastern region had come forward to provide a burial site and accordingly the two bodies were buried in the Ottamavadi area in the eastern Batticaloa district.

When the Iranathivu residents protested against burying the Covid-19 dead there, the government said they were also looking for alternative sites.

The Muslim and Tamil minority political parties had decried the government's forced cremation policy against the Muslim religious funeral rites as racist.

However, the government maintained that burials of victims could endanger the water table.

For 10 months, the Muslim and Christian minorities in the country and international rights groups lobbied the government to end the policy of forced cremations.

The cremation of bodies is forbidden in Islam.

Top News / World+Biz

Sri Lanka / buries / Covid-19 victims

Comments

While most comments will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive, moderation decisions are subjective. Published comments are readers’ own views and The Business Standard does not endorse any of the readers’ comments.

Top Stories

  • Deepening dollar crisis: Unveiling causes and solutions
    Deepening dollar crisis: Unveiling causes and solutions
  • Current account surplus drops by 80% in one month
    Current account surplus drops by 80% in one month
  • EC publishes full list of 96 local election observers with 29 new names
    EC publishes full list of 96 local election observers with 29 new names

MOST VIEWED

  • This file photo from December 2019 shows a rider driving his motorcycle through cold wind and fog. A scene not yet visible this year. Photo: Mumit M
    Woe for seasonal crops, vegetables as winter comes late 
  • Caption: Illustration: TBS
    Source tax on land registration cut again
  • File Photo: Reuters
    $1.08 billion could be added to Bangladesh's dwindling forex reserves
  • Photo: Courtesy
    Woman entrepreneur Sangeeta Khan dies at age 62
  • 59 DSE stocks face downgrade to junk category
    59 DSE stocks face downgrade to junk category
  • Dollar pressure rises as short-term foreign debt drops $300m in October
    Dollar pressure rises as short-term foreign debt drops $300m in October

Related News

  • Why policy rate hikes fail to cool inflation in Bangladesh but worked in Sri Lanka
  • Strong earthquake tremors of magnitude 6.2 jolt Sri Lanka
  • ICC suspends Sri Lanka's membership over government interference
  • Sri Lanka: From Don'ts to an example of Dos
  • Bangladesh loan gave immense relief from socioeconomic pressures: Sri Lanka's central bank governor 

Features

Sketch: TBS

How Khan Farhana built a 300,000-strong LinkedIn community

5h | Pursuit
Photo: Courtesy

Fostering emotional intelligence and classroom harmony: The power of a complaint box

5h | Pursuit
Photo: Rexy Jason Gomez

A big love for the small wheels

10h | Features
Dhaka’s FDC,  Japan Garden City and Shia Masjid were all part of Gudaraghat once. PHOTOS:  Syed Zakir Hossain

What the remaining Gudaraghats remind us of Dhaka's long-lost water bodies

17h | Panorama

More Videos from TBS

What is 'obstructing the field' out?

What is 'obstructing the field' out?

9h | TBS SPORTS
When Farooki is hero

When Farooki is hero

8h | TBS Entertainment
Most Ukrainians are losing interest in going to war

Most Ukrainians are losing interest in going to war

11h | TBS World
Putin to visit UAE and Saudi Arabia

Putin to visit UAE and Saudi Arabia

13h | TBS World
EMAIL US
[email protected]
FOLLOW US
WHATSAPP
+880 1847416158
The Business Standard
  • About Us
  • Contact us
  • Sitemap
  • Privacy Policy
  • Comment Policy
Copyright © 2023
The Business Standard All rights reserved
Technical Partner: RSI Lab

Contact Us

The Business Standard

Main Office -4/A, Eskaton Garden, Dhaka- 1000

Phone: +8801847 416158 - 59

Send Opinion articles to - [email protected]

For advertisement- [email protected]