Regional events planned for 2nd Hindu Conference

[TamilNet, Sunday, 12 January 2003, 03:07 GMT]
In a meeting held at the Management Centre of the North East Provincial Ministry of Education, Trincomalee, Saturday it was decided and plans discussed to have regional events in the northeast simultaneously when the second World Hindu Conference-2003 is held in Colombo from May 2nd to 5th under the auspices of the Ministry of Hindu Cultural Affairs, sources in Trincomalee said.

"When the first World Hindu Conference was held in Colombo in 1982 the then United National Party (UNP) government in power was waging a war against Tamil people and Tamils could not extend their full co-operation to the conference. The twenty year-old war has now left hundreds of Hindu temples destroyed and several without daily poojahs (religious rites) causing a deep wound in the psyche of Hindus," said Professor S.Pathmanathan, Secretary General of the organizing committee of the second World Hindu Conference.

Mr.R.Thiagalingam, Secretary to the Provincial Ministry of Education presided. Mr.K.Parameswaran and Mr.K.Paramalingam, Secretary and Additional Secretary to the Ministry of Hindu Cultural Affairs respectively attended the meeting. Representatives of Hindu organizations and management of Hindu temples participated in the discussion.

Professor Pathmanathan said today the present ruling party has signed an agreement with the Liberation Tigers (LTTE), which is in control of the northeast.

"Thousands of Hindus fled their homes seeking refuge elsewhere due to the brutal war. These displaced from the northeast have not been fully resettled and rehabilitated. Most of the Hindu temples destroyed in the war are yet to be reconstructed," said Professor Pathmanathan.

Professor Pathmanathan further said cultural pageants depicting the glory of Hinduism will arrive to Colombo on the inaugural day from Jaffna, Vavuniya, Trincomalee, and Batticaloa.

Mr.K.Parameswaran, Secretary to the Ministry of Hindu Affairs said his ministry estimated that 14 million rupees needed for the second World Hindu Conference. But the government has only allocated 5 million rupees. Only one hundred thousand rupees would be allocated to each regional committees to organize events in their areas, the Secretary added.


( l-r) Mr.K.Paramalingam, Mr.K.Parameswaran, Mr.R.Thiagalingam, and Professor Pathmanathan