SECTIONS OF THE MAHA SANGHA CRITICISE THE ATTEMPT OF THE JHU MONKS TO LEAD AGITATED FARMERS TO A DANGER ZONE IN MAVIL ARU
(By Walter Jayawardhana)
Los Angeles:- A section of the Maha Sangha has criticized the attempt of the Jathika Hela Urumaya Buddhist monks to have attempted to take the agitated farmers deprived of water to the closed sluice gates of Mavil Aru endangering their lives.
They said it was wrong on their part to have attempted to lead the angry farmers to an area previously laid down with mine fields by the terrorists who closed the sluice gates.
Venerable Seruwila Saranakitti, the Chief Sangha nayaka of the Eastern and Thamnkadu dual provinces , under which the temples of the troubled area come said, “It was a weakness on the part of the Jathika Hela Urumaya monks to have attempted to take the agitated farmers who were angry by the deprivation of water to an area littered with bombs and explosives endangering their lives.”
Venerable Saranakitti was the original agitator on behalf of the farmers who was proposing to begin a fast in protest of the terrorist group at Naga Pattini Devala at Kallar junction.
But on the promise of the government that they would intervene and get back the water the Venerable monk gave up his fast. He told the BBC’s Sinhala Service he did not know at that time the government was trying to take military steps to open up the irrigation canal.
Venerable Seruwila Saranakitti also said he made several telephone calls to some LTTE leaders of the area and left messages since none of them were available to say that it was wrong for them to deprive the farmers of water. He said among them was Pulidevan and S.Elilan.
The Chief Monk who is also the chief incumbent of the Seruwila Raja Maha Viharaya said it was a weakness on the part of the Jathika Hela Urumaya Buddhist monks to have attempted to take the farmers since on the top of the risk of losing all their crops the poor farmers also would have lost their lives walking on minefields.
Venerable Saranakitti was commenting on the attempt of some JHU monks led by Venerable Athureliye Rathana Thero and others trying to take some farmers to the closed sluice gates on foot about four kilometers away. He was telling that he would open the sluice gates using people’s power.
Without listening to the Army who were instructing not to go they started marching towards the sluice gates through the jungle. Finally they were stopped by Major General Nanda Mallawarachchi when they were about 2 kilometers away from their destination. They were persuaded by Major General Mallawarachchi not to go there since it was a military task to open the sluice gates. He let the Buddhist monk parliamentarian speak to the Commander of the Army Lt. General Sarath Fonseka over his cell phone and thereafter Rathana Thero agreed to return to Kallar junction where they were earlier congregated.
