‘I will break your face’ - Diplomat?

Dushy Ranetunge

COLOMBO: “I will break your face” screamed a threatening well built Iraqi male at a frail female Sri Lankan shop assistant at Softwave, Havelock Town, on Tuesday.

He went on “you have a sick country, you all wait for your government to do everything” Faced with this abuse, the young female Sri Lankan staff member refused to serve the abuser.

The abuser then crossed the counter and surged at the female staff member shouting again with threateningly clenched fists “I will break your face, I want you to do it with your own hands and if you don’t, I will break your face. I am from the Embassy, you must do it now.”

The abuser had given some material, including a print out of an Iraqi flag to be laminated and had gone away. On his return after 20 minutes he presumed that it had not been done, as the man who had served him was not available. He then wanted a young female staff member to do the laminating, and when she had failed to do so instantly, this Colombo based Iraqi saw it fit to threaten the female staff member to break her face.

Later it was discovered that the laminating had been done and was waiting to be collected.

During the incident, I found the reaction of the Sri Lankan staff and customers intriguing. Those who were around, customers and staff seem defensive. The Iraqi abuser had succeeded in intimidating the staff by stating that he was going to complain to the proprietor that evening.

The abuser saw me glaring at him from a computer terminal at the cyber cafe, and came close to me, now calmed down, to provide explanations of inefficiencies of the establishment. With no response forthcoming, he moved away.

Later, a male customer was stating loudly that the Iraqi was correct and that Sri Lanka was indeed a sick country. Since the man had an Iraqi flag I presumed that he was Iraqi. If Sri Lanka was a sick country, what would you call Iraq?

Taking this “Sri Lanka is a sick country” statement further a female customer was bringing forward explanations to justify the abusive actions of the Iraqi by stating that systems at the establishment were not up to foreign standards, and while Sri Lankans may understand the shortcomings, foreigners would not be so patient. These were all pathetic explanations to support and justify the abuser and his abuse.

Later, I informed the staff and the customers that the staff were not at fault. In my opinion the establishment gave a good and an efficient service, and whatever the reason, abuse should not be tolerated. Then one staff member acknowledged that the Arab had been abusing a female. These were the only words which were even mildly sympathetic to the female staff member.

The most astonishing behaviour that I observed was that the staff and the customers were appeasing and comforting the Arab abuser, to calm him down, while completely ignoring the woman who had been abused. She was isolated, with no one offering her any words of comfort or support.

Sri Lankan women are getting abused not only in the Middle East, its happening even in Colombo.

Sri Lankans are guilty of not challenging, but appeasing these and other abusers, by comforting the abusers, because he is a customer and because he is a foreigner, and failing to support and comfort the abused, who are our own citizens.

On Wednesday morning I visited the Iraqi Embassy at Barnes Place, Colombo 7. I was informed that the Iraqi abuser was not a diplomat, but was doing some work for the Embassy. His name was given as Wafid and telephone number as 071 228 4111. According to the Embassy, the abuser was living in Sri Lanka on a work permit, involved in a BOI project.

It seems that he was doing well in this sick country. The Embassy was concerned that the abuser had claimed connections to the Embassy and he was being called in to provide explanations.