SL military intelligence backs Buddhist extremist move in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Saturday, 01 June 2013, 22:25 GMT]
The threatening act of Sri Lankan military intelligence operatives, who took close-up photographs of the Tamil protestors against the construction of Buddha statue at the entrance to Batticaloa city on Wednesday, has exposed the nexus between the Sri Lankan Defence Ministry and the Sinhala Buddhist extremists, alternative political activists in Batticaloa said. The harassment by the SL military intelligence has also provoked Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian Mr S. Yogeswaran to react saying that if any untoward incident befalls the peaceful demonstrators, it would be considered as the work of the Sri Lankan intelligence operatives who were involved in the act of public harassment on peaceful demonstrators. In the meantime, Batticaloa Magistrate NMM Abdulla has issued an injunction order prohibiting the construction of the Buddha statue, legal sources in Batticaloa said.

The SL Police in its report to the court had admitted that the construction of the statue at the site would cause public controversies, the legal sources further said.

However, news sources in the city said that the chief Buddhist monk at the Mangalarama Buddhist temple in Batticaloa has vowed to appeal the decision of the magistrate court and resume the construction of the statue at the same spot.

The Tamil National Alliance parliamentarian of Batticaloa Mr. S.Yogeswaran has condemned the act of the Intelligence personnel for taking photographs of the participants of the demonstration.

Mr. Yogeswaran said that he, as a member of parliament, took photographs of those intelligence operatives who were involved in the hostile act against the peaceful protestors.

A tense situation emerged at the scene for a while during the protest on Wednesday when the demonstrators were rounded up by the SL military intelligence.

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