REBEL JHU MONK WHO SUPPORTS GOVERNMENT ASSAULTED AND ABDUCTED ON THE EVE OF THE ELECTION OF DEPUTY SPEAKER
By Walter Jayawardhana reporting from Los Angeles
May 18, 06.30 PM:Police reports from Colombo said that a Buddhist monk parliamentarian who supports the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government has been abducted, probably to prevent him from voting for the government candidates at the elections of the Deputy Speaker and Deputy Chairman of Committees in the parliament, today (May 18).
This is the first time in the history of Sri Lanka’s parliament since the country’s independence that a parliamentarian has been abducted by alleged political goons to prevent him from voting, in a serious breach of parliamentary privileges.
There were growing differences between the abducted Buddhist monk parliamentarian Venerable Kathaluwe Rathanaseeha and the political party Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) since the allegedly abducted Buddhist monk, refused to accept some of the policies of the party hierarchy and said they were diametrically opposed to some declared policies of the Jathika Hela Urumaya. The Venerable Kathaluwe Rathanaseeha campaigned from the United People’s Freedom Alliance election platform, though he was a candidate of the JHU and won a seat at the last general elections. . The opposition between him and his party became intense and he said he was hiding from the JHU political goons by residing in other temples of friendly monks just before he voted for the government candidate against his party’s choice at the election of the Speaker of the Sri Lanka Parliament. . The JHU voted with Ilankai Thamil Arasu Katchi and Sri Lanka Muslim Congress parliamentarians to elect UNP candidate W.J.M. Lokubandara as the Speaker. Thanks to the JHU, Lokubandara won with a majority of one vote, on April 22.
Police reports revealed that that six saffron robe clad Buddhist monks mercilessly beat him up, dragged him out of his own temple, the Sambuddha Viharaya at Rawathawatte, Moratuwa and bundled him into a waiting brown colored vehicle that disappeared into the darkness of the night, May 17.
The Venerable Rathnaseeha, returned to his temple in Soyzapura in Rawathawatte after a preaching (bana) performed at the house of one of the members of his congregation. About fifteen Buddhist monks who arrived at the temple were waiting for him claiming they wanted a discussion with him. The monks also refused refreshments (gilanpasa) offered to them customarily.
According to investigations one of them asked, “What are you going to do next?” He reportedly replied, “I am doing what is needed to be done. If I am compelled to take legal action I would do it without any hesitation despite your threats to harass me or kill me. “
At this moment one of the visiting monks reportedly argued saying , “You cant say so. We will tell you what to do.” Then he started abusing him.
According to eyewitnesses, then about six monks assaulted him and dragged him to a waiting vehicle and abducted him about 8.15 p.m.
Police Headquarters in Colombo appealed to the public to supply any clues to find out the missing Buddhist monk parliamentarian.
This is the second time Buddhist monks allegedly used violence in a political matter in Sri Lanka. In 1958 two Buddhist monks Mapitigama Buddharakkhitha and Thalduwe Somarama conspired to assassinate the then Prime Minister the late S.W.R.D.Bandaranaike. The Supreme Court convicted both.
