Akon And Getting Stoned At MTV
Cops gathered around Maharajah. Perambara has better photos below
The private media getting stoned is about as predictable as Akon getting stoned, but one doesn’t usually put the two together. If you don’t know, Maharajah runs the major TV station MTV (not music) and, being independent, is at constant odds with the government. Today a mob was bused in and stoned the place till they got chased off. I went to the scene and it was a bunch of cops and a bunch of shirtsleeves hanging around. Milinda Moragoda and a muckety from the UNP (Secretary?) were there, but they said whatever happened was unrelated to them.
Asked a lady and guy outside and they said a few hundred people (two busloads) were gathered outside chanting and throwing stones at the office. Apparently they weren’t chanting the usual slogans, but stuff against Akon of all people. As a back story, Akon of is having a concert here. The last big concert we had here was Shah Rukh Khan and people threw grenades at the stage and we never saw him again. I really hope that doesn’t happen again.
So that’s how the story looks, but one cannot assume anything. I heard that the buses came from Kelaniya but I consider that unconfirmed and perhaps unconfirmable. That would seem to imply Mervyn Silva and the usual Sirasa thrashing goons and the usual Sirasa thrashing agenda. But implication is masturbation and in this both oppressed and depressed media environment one can know little beyond the end of ones nose.
So I drove over there and looked at the building. The lamposts are shattered and the first floor window has a hole in it. The ground is littered with bricks but on the whole there is not so much carnage. I heard that people were injured and I hope they’re OK. While I was there an ambulance pulled inside.
Charlie from the BBC and chaps from the Daily Mirror, usual suspects really. A lot of chaps in shirt sleeves and I got some info from a woman who worked there and saw the thing. I called my friend inside and she seemed non-plussed, I guess she was back at work.
This is a silly country sometimes. Why are people stoning the media for one, and what does Akon have to do with anything. I know girls were dancing in front of a Buddha statue in ‘Sexy Bitch’, but we also have, like, priests molesting children and any number of more serious things to worry about. More to the point, how did the media situation get so messed up that we A) regular violence and B) chronic ignorance and rumor-mongering? I think these two things are related.
Update: Perambara has better photos
Today on the 
Janith has updated 
This is highly dubious. Miss Travel is a travel/social networking site that connects ‘Generous’ and ‘Attractive’ travelers. To, like, travel together, I guess. It all seems a bit like arranged prostitution and trafficking. This is part of a broader online trend to connect rich men to younger, attractive women. Sites like 
Sri Lankan domestics never say anything, they just stop coming. My maid just stopped coming and when I finally pressed her she said I needed to get a washing machine. I was hoping to ride this one out, but I’ve run out of underwear and I have no choice. I finally caved and bought a washing machine, from 
Rumour has it that it was Mervyn & Sarana. I don’t think so though.
wow.. where have u being living.. oh wait.. INDIA.. haha
AKON is disgracing Buddism.. so understandably people are angry that he’s coming here to give Columbians a good time. And According to Facebook groups promoting the event Maharaja entertainment is sponsoring the event. So understandably people went for the most obvious Maharaja building they know.
Besides wht’s the difference between the people u describe and people who protested immediately for SF. They both got violent it seems.. So people has the right of protest and expression.
And i sincerly hope AKON gets wht’s coming to him. Tht’s teach them a lesson.
This could also be a part of the collective strategy to tarnish Buddhism and Sinhalese. First invite the one fella who has disgraced buddhism. Create some noise about it and throw some people from “Kalaniya” (Thanks a lot Indi for starting THAT BS) and the Sinhala-haters can project a “violent” image of the Sinhala Buddhists to the west. But they dont realize that real people in Sri Lanka dont give a shit what white people think!!
“AKON is disgracing Buddism” where have you been living, I am a Buddhist and I am disgusted what so called priests are doing to the country. Can you explain to me (nicely that is, ) what priests doing in the Parliament? (I also do not need to know about thousands of good priests that are all over the country, I meet them and asks them the same question, then I run away from the ones who says “God only knows {Deiyo thamai danne})
How is AKOn worse than this? http://www.lankalibrary.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=2786
AKON is a racist thug (Once he threw a young white kid off the stage,) promoted by money loving corporations. He will soon retire to Las Vegas or similar place, unless some gangster kills him. Buddhism and Sri Lankans will go on for a long time to come.
If AKON and and Maharaja can tarnish “Sinhalese and Buddhism”, then we have bigger issues.
What preists are doing and what other ppl are doing dosnt change the fact that Akon is disgracing Buddhism intentionally..
Akon is probably too ignorant to disgrace Buddhism intentionally.
I have to agree wtih Ash. Why are people not stoning the Sinhala Uramaya and other groups that disgrace Buddhism every day? What about the Diyawadena Nilame and the Kandy Perehera who disgrace Buddhism by promoting cruelty to animals in the name of Buddhism. What a bunch of hypocrites these fools are.
“Sinhala-haters can project a ‘violent” image of the Sinhala Buddhists to the west.” But we ARE violent. There’s nothing to “project.” I’m not a Sinhala-hater, being Sinhala myself — I’m more of an idiot hater.
So you want Akon to get what’s coming to him? What might that be? And you seriously think you can “teach him a lesson?” Seriously?
I’m not a Sinhala-hatter, being one myself — I just hate idiots like the rest of the world.
It’s stupid and highly presumptuous to think that the “west” is out to get the sinhala-buddhist. I’m sure that’s how you feel in the cozy little shell you live in, but it has nothing to do with reality.
well why else would they invite the one person who knows will inflame the masses.. they could have invited some one else..
and honestly.. “thugs” throwing stones.. rofl.. and getting filmed.. sounds like a well planned set up so the western media can right some bull shit
Maybe you should be asking this question from the GOSL. After all, the tourism promotion ministry is behind the organizing and marketing of this event!
Of course to certain people, the GOSL can do no wrong, so they need to look for other scapegoats :)
“they could have invited some one else..”
No one else will come, you dumb fuck.
wow a conspiracy nut
Um.. DID YOU KNOW THAT AKON PERFORMED IN THAILAND SINGAPORE AND OTHER INDONESIAN COUNTRIEES WHERE BUDDISM IS MORE IMPORTANT?
DIDNT U KNOW THAT SRILANKAN SINGERS GO ON TV WITH DRUGS AND PROSTITUTES AND STUFF?
DIDNT U KNOW THAT AKONS VIDEOS ARE ALL FOR ENTERTAINMENT?
WITH STUPID PEOPLE LIKE YOU , THIS COUNTRY ISNT GOING TO DEVOLOP .
THIS IS JUST BECAUSE SIRASA IS SPONSORING IT THATS ALL .
LEARN COMMON SENSE MAN
GET A LIFE
Sorry, the government just OWNED you and MTV and Platinum Entertainments by denying AKON a visa. Now go and cry in the corner…
Yes, and they made themselves look like complete fools to the outside world (especially since the Tourist Board was involved in setting up this concert). Go pat yourself in the back in a corner.
Actually I have a smug smile on my face and am sniggering at the fact that the Gov took a huge hot piss all over the faces of AKON fans. Oh noooooeeeeesssss Akon is not coming to Sri Lanka… aiyo!!! :)
I am absolutely against AKON coming to Sri Lanka. He’s an atrocious musician, listening to him is equivalent to getting a fellatio from hooker who has serrated teeth all the while using rubbing alcohol as an lubricant. Whoever did the stone throwing did posterity a great service.
people have a right to protest and expression? Including violence? Please.
What type of weird, insecure nonsense is this? I’m a Buddhist and the Buddha said to not worship images of him at all. How relevant is any of this violence and anger to anyones relief from suffering? Is this really some big conspiracy by Akon and MTV to tarnish Buddhism? Do you really think people in the West are sitting around trying to mess with Sri Lanka all the time? They’re not. Average Sri Lankans like Akon. I don’t, but he’s not disgracing Buddhism by having a Chinese looking statue in the back of some video.
The biggest problem is not even the violence, it’s that we so casually accept and justify it and then pawn off blame on ‘white people’. It’s 2010. Grow up.
Where did the Buddha say not to worship images of him? Could you give us the actual quote from the Tipitaka or something. Because you say that as if you have evidence to back yourself up.
Also, the average Sri Lankan doesn’t have a fuc**ing clue who AKON is, let alone like or hate him…
Do you realise you’re rumour mongering yourself?
@Duh
Regarding representations of the Buddha, “This reluctance towards anthropomorphic representations of the Buddha, and the sophisticated development of aniconic symbols to avoid it (even in narrative scene where other human figures would appear), seems to be connected to 70 of the Buddha’s sayings, reported in the Dighanikaya, that disfavored representations of himself after the extinction of his body.” (Wikipedia)
Re rumor mongering, I’m narrating a first-hand account of what I saw and heard on a scene. I’ve qualified what I think is rumor but I’m just trying to give the picture as if you were standing there next to me.
Er no… where exactly does the Buddha say NOT to worship images of himself? You won’t find ANYTHING like that in the Tipitaka or any of the suttas. Some second hand quote from Wikipedia really isn’t much evidence. Quote something from the Buddhist texts, that’s where the gold is. The thing is, you can’t. So please stop pulling things out of your ass and passing them off as fact. It’s embarassing for you.
PS In your own words it seems you went to the scene AFTER everything had happened. So let’s cut the crap again. You’re just passing off rumour as fact but preaching to others about rumour mongering… kinda like sitting in the UNP’s office and doing election propaganda but screaming about everyone else doing it. Remember that? Same thing here. Face up to your own hypocrisy instead of trying to deny it like a coward.
I’m curious, where in the Buddhist texts does it say you have to worship statues to be a good Buddhist? Last I checked the key to being a good Buddhist is simply following the path the Buddha taught. And I don’t think stoning people who insulted or are perceived to have insulted Buddhism was included in that.
“If Sri Lankans want to sit through an Akon concert that’s their business. If Sri Lankans find it hard to sit through an Akon video I understand. However, if you want to defend Buddhism one might start by practicing it. Rather than chatting on Facebook or (allegedly) throwing stones, that involves a little sitting quietly by yourself. To quote again, “Put anger away, abandon pride, overcome every attachment, cling not to Mind and Body and thus be free from sorrow.”
^^ wurd!!
+ not much people know that this concert is also backed up by Sri Lankan tourist Ministry to promote tourism, for which Sirasa is facing major pwnage :D
Kill, murder, assassinate in the name of Buddhism.
Is this country a Buddhist nation?
Yes
Is this country run by a Buddhist majority Govt?
Yes
Then why stone the media corporation that are sponsoring the event when you can stone the government that allowed the Artist to come down?
Is this country a Buddhist nation?
No
It’s the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. It has nothing to do with Buddhism
Hi braniac… the government has not allowed the artist to come down… DUH
So how many were stoned? How much of ganja was smoked?
Your headline really works! I really thought at first that people at MTV got spliffing or somethink!
I too thought the same when I read the comment, came to get a whiff only to get disappointed.
I meant headline
Is Acromantula stupid or only pretends to be stupid? Either way he looks idiotic.
I thought this was a ganja incident as well. Ha ha..
Anyways, after listening to an AKON song I’m convinced that he need to be stoned. Or even burned alive as an example for all those talentless morons pretending to be musicians.
STOP INSULTING BUDDHISM