Buddhist priest shot dead in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Sunday, 13 May 2007, 12:09 GMT]
A Buddhist monk, who worked for peaceful coexistence among ethnic communities, was shot and killed by unidentified attackers Sunday morning around 9:30, Morawewa police sources said. Venerable Nandaratena Thera, Chief Priest of the Mahadiulwewa Buddhist Rajamaha Vihare in Morawewa division in Trincomalee district, has participated in events such as Pongu Tamil event in past in the east port town.



The assassins came in a motor bicycle to the Buddhist Vihare and called the chief priest out and fired at him. The attackers immediately fled the scene after the shooting, sources further said.

Mahadiulwewa is located along Trincomalee-Anuradhapura road, about 34 km north of Trincomalee town.

Morawewa and Mahadiulwewa are earlier known as Muthaliku'lam and Maha Vilaanku'lam in Tamil.

Both were traditional Tamil areas until the successive governments in power implemented the state aided colonization schemes in Trincomalee district since the country gained political independence in 1948. Both villages are now Sinhalese dominated and the names of them have also been changed from Tamil into Sinhala.

Chronology: