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THE SUCCESSOR TO MADIHE PANNASEEHA ATTACKS NORWAY AND ENDORSES OMALPE SOBHITHA WHO WANTS TO PROTEST MAHANAYAKAS
Venerable Weligama Gnanarathana, new head of the Amarapura Dharmarakshitha Nikaya
By Walter Jayawardhana reporting from Los Angeles
September 22.12.30 PM:The new Maha Nayaka Thero of the Sri Dharmarakshitha Sector of the Amarapura Nikaya, the Venerable Weligama Gnanarathana Thero, successor to the Most Venerable Agga Maha Panditha Madihe Pannaseeha Thero who passed away recently said, the people in Sri Lanka should rise up against the activities of Norway’s interference in Sri Lanka’s internal affairs and chase out the culprits.
The new Maha Nayaka Thero said that while Norway was interfering in the affairs in Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka had no right to interfere in the affairs of Norway.
The new Chief Monk who succeeded the Venerable Madihe Pannaseeha said their late leader the Venerable Pannaseeha held similar views and he would fearlessly follow in his footsteps in regard to the fighting against those anti-national forces. The new Maha Nayaka Thero also endorsed the Venerable Omalpe Sobhitha Thero who recently said the Buddhist monks should perform a Sathyagrahaya in front of temples of certain Maha Nayakas who were silent while the nation was facing the gravest danger of its history
In an interview given to the Sunday edition of the Divaina newspaper the Venerable Gnanarathana accused the government of Ranil Wickremesinghe and said the dangerous trend had been established by the government and he would not fear to express his opposition to such activities.”I am not afraid to state this. Even if they killed me as a result I would oppose them openly,” the outspoken Chief monk said.
He said all those activities in collaboration with the government had been launched against the very civilization of the country.
The Venerable Maha Nayaka strongly reminded the government that throughout the history of this nation it had been known as the Sihala Dveepa. He said the name did not have any other meaning except that this was the island of the Sinhalese. He said there were no separate states in the Northern and Eastern Provinces in the island. The Venerable Gnanarathana said there were ruins of 200 Buddhist temples in the Northern and Eastern Provinces.
The Venerable Maha Nayaka said he was completely against the activities of the government in this regard .He emphatically stated, “ Not a single inch of this country should be given to anybody.”
He said the private property of those who wanted to give their land could be given to anybody. But he said not a single inch of the country should be given to any body, in an obvious reference to the demands of the terrorist group, the LTTE.
The Venerable Maha Nayaka Thero said the late Venerable Madihe Pannaseeha Thero in his decades long national service advocated those lines and said he would not deter from that path.
Replying to a question regarding a recent statement of Venerable Omalpe Sobhitha Thero against the mysterious silence of certain Maha Nayaka Theros while the nation was facing grave difficulties to its very existence the Venerable Gnanarathana Thero said he had his highest regard for the Venerable Omalpe Sobhitha, who was a well educated Buddhist monk and he fully endorsed his statement. In an obvious reference to the Malwatte and Asgiriya Maha Nayaka Theros, who had received great financial grants in millions, from public funds given by the Ranil Wickremesinghe government, the Venerable Omalpe Sobhitha Thero at a meeting in Kandy said recently that if certain Maha Nayakas remained silent without taking any step regarding the grave danger to the nation the Buddhist monks would be compelled to perform Satyagrahas in front of their temples. The Venerable Omalpe Sobhitha is a member of the governing body of the Ramanna Nikaya, one of the three sects of the Buddhist monks in Sri Lanka.
The Venerable Gnanarathana said this government of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe strongly had come under the influence of the church and even the late Madihe Maha Nayaka Thero was very sad about it. He accused the Christian fundamentalists tried to convert the Buddhists by making use of the people’s poverty and there were signs that this government was supporting those activities.
Thanking the Divaina newspaper for reporting fearlessly the Venerable Weligama Gnanarathana Thero said, “This is our country. Do not be afraid. Publish fearlessly.”
Sri Lanka News, update throughout the day....