The Computer Society of Sri Lanka (CSSL) released a statement this month is response to recent incidents of sectarian violence.
Just last September, the IFIP World Computer Congress 2017 was staged in Colombo, Sri Lanka, attracting hundreds of local professionals and scores of international speakers and delegates to attend the event.
The complete CSSL statement is reproduced below:
We at the Computer Society of Sri Lanka (CSSL), as the national association for IT professionals, strongly condemn the actions of those who spread hatred, encourage violence, and conduct acts of terror against any community.
As such, we request the authorities to urgently intervene and prevent such incidents from ever taking place in the future.
The IT industry of SL today is famous for producing world-class leaders, entrepreneurs and products.
This success comes due to professionals like you and many who work tirelessly regardless of race, religion and ethnicity.
We are successful because each of us from varying backgrounds work together as one team. By embracing diversity, we can proudly say that Sri Lanka is a diverse land of innovation and ingenuity. IT professionals must play our part.
Confront any incidents of racial or religious discrimination immediately. Speak about the importance of diversity amongst our fellow colleagues. Don’t spread any news without verifying.
Most importantly, we must reassure everyone that we are a diverse multi-cultural industry and society. We will do our part to protect our beautiful nation and take it forward to greater heights.
Yasas Vishuddhi Abeywickrama
President – CSSL
