The SLCFA said in a statement: “Sri Lankans are famous for their hospitality, friendliness and gratitude; however in the recent years we have seen actions by a few tarnish that image. Recent reports of mistreatment of Chinese nationals in restaurants, public transport etc. are disturbing. We are losing friends.”
“President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and our health authorities have taken all the necessary steps to prevent an outbreak of the corona virus on the country and would thwart any threat posed by disease transmission. We urge fellow Sri Lankans to act with humanity and compassion and not to discriminate against the Chinese in Sri Lanka. China has been a friend Sri Lanka could rely on since independence. They were behind us unconditionally during the war against terrorism, by supporting us in the United Nations, giving us military aid and training when the West was pulling at our legs,” President of the SLCFA, Ananda Goonatilleke said.
Since the outbreak of the coronavirus, western media has done its best to create a fear psychosis among the people albeit the fact that mortality rate of the virus hovers around 2%, he further said.
It is ironic that Sri Lankans who have seen how the western media reported on recent events in the country take their reporting on China, the main enemy of the Western hegemony, without a pinch of salt. Earlier this week Cheng Xueyuan, Ambassador of China to Sri Lanka, said the Chinese government imposed the strictest control and preventive measures and that the Chinese Embassy to Sri Lanka has advised people from Hubei province to suspend and delay their travels to Sri Lanka, while people from other provinces should quarantine themselves for at least 14 days after arriving in Sri Lanka, Goonatilleke noted.
China has also allowed Sri Lanka to evacuate its students in Wuhan. It was only the fourth country that was allowed to do so. Given this context, it is unnecessary to panic because of misinformation generated by Western propaganda and sections of Sri Lanakns who unthinkingly believe everything the Western media reports and discriminate Chinese nationals in Sri Lanka, he added.
Urging all Sri Lankans not to alienate our friends at a time when they are facing a national calamity, SLCFA emphasized the fact that our own national economy will be severely affected if the Chinese economy and tourism are allowed to be dragged down by western propaganda and local reactionary political party heads.