As rumours swirl, Barrhaven killings grip Sri Lankan media
The brutal slaying of two Sri Lankan adults and four children in Barrhaven last week is big news in their home country, amid rampant online speculation and fears about what it will mean for others hoping to come to Canada.
Azzam Ameen, a former BBC journalist who now runs the website Newswire, called the homicides a "huge story" for newspapers and TV stations that was at the top of the Sri Lankan news cycle in the days after it happened.
"For the last three, four days, it has been dominating the news agenda. It's all over social media as well," said Ameen, who is based in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo. "People are looking for answers, especially on why this was done."
Sri Lankan citizen Darshani Dilanthika Ekanayake and her four children ages seven, four, three and two months were killed late last Wednesday in their home on Berrigan Drive, along with Gamini Amarakoon, another Sri Lankan citizen who lived in their home. Ekanayake's husband Dhanushka Wickramasinghe was seriously injured.
Febrio De Zoysa, 19, an international student also from Sri Lanka who was living with the family, has been charged with six counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder.
Front-page story
The killings made the front page of prominent Sinhalese and English-language newspapers. Ceylon Today ran a BBC report of the incident over the weekend and followed with more front-page coverage on Monday of a vigil in Barrhaven.
Ceylon Today deputy editor Sulochana Mohan called it a shocking story that has people talking in Sri Lanka.
Aside from the feeling of horror at the crimes, some fear it could have a direct impact on their lives. It's triggered warnings about welcoming strangers when staying abroad, she said, along with worries that the Canadian government could crack down on international students.
She said her newspaper will keep a close eye on the legal process in Canada to learn what motivated the slayings, and said any "breakthrough" explaining the tragedy would merit another round of front-page attention in her paper.
"We will be waiting and watching — seriously watching — over the developments," she said.
Flowers sit at the scene of a homicide where six people were found dead in the Barrhaven suburb of Ottawa on March 7, 2024. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)
Freelance journalist Tharushi Weerasinghe, who is also UNICEF youth advocate in Sri Lanka, said the story resonates strongly for Sri Lankans who have family living in Canada.
"Canada is seen as sort of one of the best destinations to migrate to in Sri Lanka," she said. "It's seen as this sort of safe haven, this, 'Oh, we finally made it' place to get to."
In her view, that made the killings even more shocking for Sri Lankan audiences.
"They were just starting to live out this dream," she said of the victims, adding that Sri Lankans were also appalled that the accused killer is Sri Lankan.
"I don't think it's going to affect how safe people feel in Canada," said Weerasinghe. "This was something that, to Sri Lankans, looks like it came from within the community itself."
Speculation about motive
While some established newspapers including Ceylon Today have relied on Canadian or international reporting for their coverage, there has also been original reporting in Sri Lanka.
Journalists sought out family members connected to the victims, according to Weerasinghe and Ameen.
But the killings have also produced rampant speculation about the motives of the accused, both on social media and on some news websites.
Apparently baseless rumours have floated theories blaming everything from video games to visa issues to mystical elements such as the "Great Curse."
None of the charges against De Zoysa have been proven and the court has not heard any evidence surrounding the circumstances of the crimes.
Ottawa Mayor Mayor Sutcliffe and others pay their respects to the family at a vigil Saturday afternoon. Sutcliffe called the killings 'one of the most shocking incidents of violence in our city's history.' (Camille Kasisi-Monet)
Ameen said speculation is common in Sri Lanka. For some websites, he said, it's simply "a numbers game," and with so much interest and so few answers, speculation gets eyeballs on the page.
"This actually happens a lot, especially when it's issues relating to the youth," said Weerasinghe. "Video games are a common, common scapegoat."
Mohan said her newspaper will wait for answers from the Canadian courts before coming to any conclusions.
"There are a lot of speculations, a lot of assumptions," she said. "But we have never picked up those stories."
Lessons to learn
Ameen said crime reporting in Sri Lanka can veer into sensationalism, and the comparatively delicate Canadian coverage of the Barrhaven killings has impressed Sri Lankan audiences.
"The Canadian press carried this with dignity," he said. "These kinds of incidents happened in Sri Lanka before, and there were a lot of concerns about how media reported it.
"Sometimes when an incident like this happens our press would have even shown the bodies, sensationalized it, so that was kind of a lesson."
He said video of the vigil organized by Barrhaven East Coun. Wilson Lo was also moving for Sri Lankans.
"Those kinds of very emotional video messages were shared on social media, and even in the local press," he said. "That gives a very positive message."
