It is time for SL President to act against extremist Buddhist monk, says Batticaloa Bishop

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 December 2016, 22:38 GMT]
SL President Maithiripala Sirisena should take action against the Buddhist monk, who has caused much damage to the ethnic and religious harmony prevailing in the district of Batticaloa, the Roman Catholic of the Diocese of Batticaloa, Rt Rev Dr Joseph Ponniah, told TamilNet in an interview on Monday. The Bishop said he had asked the SL police, law enforcement authorities and even the military commanders visiting him why they were unable to stop him. But, none of them were prepared to act against a religious leader, particularly against a Buddhist monk, Bishop Joseph Ponniah said. SL President knows about the act of this monk. As it is not possible to do anything to stop the destructive trend at grassroots or lower levels of law enforcement, it is now the responsibility of the SL President to interfere and prove that he is serious about ethnic and religious harmony in the island, he said.



While promoting illegal and intrusive colonisation, the monk was spreading false idea that people of Batticaloa were opposed to Sinhalese, Batticaloa Bishop said.

Thousands of Sinhalese come and visit Batticaloa on a daily basis. Most of these tourists visit the beaches of Batticaloa. None of them have faced any ethnic or religious hatred from the people of Batticaloa, Bishop Joseph Ponniah said.

The people of Batticaloa district live in harmony. It is particularly a Buddhist monk, based in Batticaloa for some years now, who is engaged in causing ethnic disharmony, the Bishop said.

Apart from his verbal abuse and violent outbursts, the monk has never taken part in the meetings being periodically held between the religious dignitaries of various religious in the district.

There are certain political forces that want to cause disharmony in the district, the Bishop said. It is the duty of the heads of the government to act without delay in curbing the destructive behaviour of the monk.

The laws and legal procedures should be equal for all persons and if the government failed to act against the crimes, the trend would be detrimental for future reconciliation, the Bishop said.

He condemned forced colonisation and commended the Government Agent, Divisional and GS officers for carrying out their duties.

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