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BUDDHIST MONKS BLESS THE PROTEST MARCH BY PLACING A RELIC CASKET ON THE HEADS OF JVP LEADERS AND PRESENTING FLAGS
Photo
1. Part of the Huge Crowd at the National Rally in Nittambuwa Town. 2. Former Speaker Anura Bandaranaike addressing The public rally at Nittambuwa after the protest march Reached there.3. Placard Displays "Unpatriotic Ranil Go home !"
(Photo by: jvpsrilanka.com)
By Walter Jayawardhana reporting from Los Angeles

September 30.06.45 AM:When the protest march of the Patriotic National Movement was marching between Warakapola and Nittambuwa the people’s enthusiasm was so intense Buddhist monks from the Botale area blessed the JVP leaders by placing a relic casket on their heads and presenting them with the National and Buddhist flags.

The marchers were were going through the third day of their march to protest the Ranil Wickremesinghe government’s proposals to hand over the Northern and Eastern Provinces of Sri Lanka to a LTTE dominated Interim government.

JVP parliamentary group leader Wimal Weerawansa, and parliamentarians Nandana Gunathilaka, and Vijitha Herath were thus blessed by the Buddhist monks.

The monks who led the blessing were Venerable Udasgiriye Samitha Thero, Incumbent of the Vikramasheela Vihara Botale and the Venerable Akuthude Dhammakitti , the Incumbent of the Raja Maha Vihara Botale. Many other monks accompanied them

The mammoth protest march which was collecting hundreds of thousand protestors was also supported by SLFP Provincial Council Minister of the South, Danny Abewickrema, Matara Distric MP Jinadasa Kitulegoda, , Ratnapura District MP Achala Surnga Jagoda, and the Muslim Parliamentarian Anjan Umma.

A great many Buddhist monks were also seen marching with the protestors. The Venerable Udasgiriye Samitha Thero came to bless the protest leaders on a wheel chair. and also joined the march riding it. .

At one point there seemed to be some argument between Wimal Weerawansa and higher police officials over some obstacles placed by the police by allowing vehicles in a manner obstructing the smooth flow of the march. . The police wanted to use the lane allocated to the marchers for vehicular traffic.

The marchers arrived at Nittambuwa at 2.oo pm. and participated in a public meeting that was addressed by former Speaker Anura Bandaranaike.

The marchers will restart the march from Nittambuwa to the final stop at Kadawatha before they reach their destination at the Lipton Circle in the heart of Colombo.

(30/09/03 go2lanka.com)