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Monks block president’s house | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Nearly two hundred Buddhist monks have gathered opposite Lake House building after surrounding the official residence of President Chandrika Kumaratunga in Colombo. Some others have started a march to Kandy after they were forcibly dispersed by the police. The monks, in a protest against a planned joint relief mechanism (JM) with the Tamil Tigers to distribute tsunami aid, have earlier crashed through a barrier at the president’s house. A monk was threatening to self-immolate unless they did not get a reply to the letter handed over to a senior official of the presidential secretariat. Tear Gas President Kumaratunga was at the residence holding a meeting with Buddhist Mahanayakes (chief prelates) in a bid to defuse tension over the issue.
The Sanghanayakas, the Ven.Udugama Buddharakkitha Thera of the Asgiriya Chapter, the Ven.Thibbotuwawe Sumangala Thera of the Malwatte Chapter, the Ven.Wewaldeniye Medhalankara Thero of the Ramanna Chapter and the Ven.Davuldena Gnanissara of the Amerapura chapter on Thursday issued a signed statement opposing the proposed mechanism. Udaya Shantha Kumara of Sri FM, who was at the scene, told BBC Sandeshaya (BBC Sinhala) that the police attacked the protesting monks with tear gas and water cannon. The protesters, mainly Buddhist monks from Sinhala nationalist Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), oppose the plan to share relief aid with the LTTE saying it would help the Tamil Tigers to achieve their goal of creating an independent state. Fast unto death General Secretary of the JHU, Dr. Omalpe Sobhita thero, is conducting a fast unto death in Buddhist’s most sacred The Temple of the Tooth in Kandy. The monk’s health is deteriorating, but refusing to give up the fast until President Kumaratunnga pledges not to establish the JM. President Kumaratunga has pledged to establish the mechanism even if that means the collapse of her government. The rebels complained that aid was not reaching areas under their control fast enough. Sinhala nationalist JVP had earlier threatened to pull out of the ruling coalition by 16th June unless the president dropped her plans. |
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