JHU opposes granting land, police powers to EPC

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 14 May 2008, 10:18 GMT]
The all-monks Sinhala Buddhist nationalist party, Jathika Hela Urumaya (JUH), which has 9 seats in the Sri Lankan parliament, has said that it would oppose granting "internal security and land allocation powers" to the newly elected Eastern Provincial Council (EPC). The All Party Representatives Committee (APRC) has not suggested anything about granting land and police powers to EPC at any stage, said Venerable Ellawela Methanananda Thera, leader of the JHU addressing media on Tuesday in Colombo. He added whether Pillaiyan or Hisbullah comes as chief minister, EPC should take immediate steps to "resettle all Sinhalese earlier chased out of the province."

He further said JHU's main objective is to resettle all Sinhalese people in "their" lands in the eastern province. People from other communities are being settled in lands earlier occupied by Sinhalese in Pottuvil and Jeyanthipura in east.

Meanwhile, the SL minister of Environment and Natural Resources of the JHU, Champika Ranawaka, said the government has not briefed the JHU about granting land and powers to EPC. "There is no urgency to hand over such powers to the EPC," he said.

Meanwhile, the JHU along with Deegavapi Restoration Committee has filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking the court issue interim injunction against settling Muslims in lands within the 300 meters of Deegavapi area in Ampaa'rai district, claiming that the Deegavapi area is a holy place for Buddhists.