KAMALIKA PIERIS

The Tamil Separatist Movement has shown strong opposition to the presence of Buddhist temples in the north and east.  The Tamil Separatist Movement is opposing two things, the conservation of ancient Buddhist temples and the building of new Buddhist temples. It is good that this matter had now come before the attention of the general public, because it is a very important issue. It is the last stage in the conversion of the north to an   exclusive Tamil-Hindu region.

The Tamil Separatist Movement complained loudly that Buddhist temples were being built in the north where there were no Buddhists. There are nine Buddha viharas being built in Mullaitivu district alone, said Tamil Separatist Movement in 2016.  In Kokkilai, Mullaitivu district, a Buddha Vihara is coming up with army support despite a claim to the land by a local Tamil.

People in the north were worried and suspicions that Sinhala from outside would invade their villages because Buddhist temples were being constructed in places where no Buddhist reside and outside Sinhala Buddhist people” are being settled in Tamil villages,  reported the media in 2016.  

The military’s construction of Buddhist viharas in traditionally Tamil areas with no Buddhist population is a preliminary step to the Sinhala-Buddhist colonization of these areas and a re-assertion of Sinhala Buddhist dominance, said Adaalayam Centre for Policy Research , Jaffna.

Sinhala colonies, Buddhist temples and Buddha statues are being aggressively constructed with military sponsorship with the sole purpose of Sinhala Buddhisation of the North eastern Tamil homeland, said Tamil Peoples Council.

C.V.  Wigneswaran issued a statement where he said, stop erecting Buddha statues and Buddhist temples illegally and in places where there are no Buddhists, except in the army camps.  He also objected to putting up Buddha statues and temples illegally on private lands.

Tamil National People’s Front Leader Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam  said  ever since the end of the war, consecutive governments have accelerated the Sinhalization” of the north and east, he said, as if to catch up with the gap of the 30 years during the war .

The Tamil Separatist Movement takes the view  that there are no ancient Buddhist monuments in the north. But they also they take the  view that  any Buddhist monuments found in the north is the work of Tamil Buddhists. These  views contradict each other.

The government  was accused of pursuing a project of Sihalisation”, targeting places of worship of the Tamils, based on claims that these are archeological sites, implying they have a Sinhala heritage. Even if these sites had archeological evidence of some Buddhist heritage, it may not necessarily be Sinhalese, because we know that Tamil Buddhists have lived in the north,” said Tamil Separatist Movement.

Tamil Separatist Movement also says that Hindu temples have been attacked by Sinhala forces.  The military destroyed a Hindu temple in order to construct a Buddhist temple, said Adaalayam Centre, Jaffna.   A very clear pattern and agenda” can be seen in the escalating instances of attacks and vandalism on Hindu temple deities across the north, said the Tamil Separatist Movement .This makes the   Hindu population look like a martyr.

Two agencies were charged with the offence of introducing Buddhism into today’s north, they are Department of Archaeology and the Sri Lanka army. Sri Lanka’s Department of Archaeology has become very active in the north and east, said the Tamil Separatist Movement.  It is assisted by overzealous Buddhist monks, who want to construct Buddhist temples in state land under the ruse that the land is a Buddhist archaeological site.

The department has also restricted access to some kovils, citing ongoing archaeological research” there. In one instance, media reported the arrest of a youth who attempted to worship at a temple in Vedukkunarimalai, Vavuniya.

The Sri Lanka army is charged with building Buddhist temples in the north. Many Buddhist temples have sprung up during the last few years inside and outside army camps, due to the presence of over 150,000 soldiers in the North.  The army has built Buddhist temples on both state and private Tamil lands in Mullaitivu said Adaalayam.  The army had built a Buddhist temple at Keppapilavu on privately owned land presently occupied by the Air Force, as well.

Tamil Separatist Movement strongly objected to the introduction of Buddhist temples into the north. Those in Mullaitivu have forcefully opposed the construction of Buddhist structures in areas with no Buddhist civilians said Adaalayam Centre.   Hindu religious groups have gone to courts and engaged in multiple legal battles on this matter.M.A. Sumanthiran, of the TNA who is a senior lawyer, appears for them in court.

In 2016, after the Yahapalana government came to power, there were numerous demands for the removal of Buddhist temples, statues, and shrines built in the Northern Province, reported the media.     In August 2016 TNA MPs met Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe and raised concerns about Buddhist temples and statues being built in the area.

The Tamil Peoples’ Council   invited the public to join a mass protest in Jaffna on September 24, 2016 to demand a stop to the construction of Buddha statues and Buddhist temples in areas in the Northern Province where there are no Buddhists.     The Northern Provincial Council   passed a resolution in 2016 prohibiting the construction of Buddhist temples in the north.   It had no legal standing, said lawyers.  

 In 2018, Supreme Court issued notice on the Vice Chancellor and several other officials of the Jaffna University, over a complaint made by five Buddhist students of the Faculty of Business studies, four Sinhalese and one Tamil. Five writ applications were filed by these students.

 The petitioner students said they were prevented from entering the campus premises because they had attempted to install a dais to house a Buddha statue within their hostel premises. They had been suspended.

They have alleged arbitrary treatment and a denial of their right to abide by the religion of their choice and asserted a violation of Article 12(1), 12(1), and 14(1) (a) of the Constitution of Sri Lanka. They have requested the Court to direct the VC to allow them to enter the university premises and declare that their fundamental rights have been violated by the respondent university authorities.

 Manohara de Silva, PC, who appeared for the students, told the Court of Appeal, that the students had been prevented from entering the university premises from April 18, 2018. It was without basis and was unlawful.

The university replied that the students had allegedly attempted to set up a structure to place the Buddha statue in the campus premises, without obtaining permission to do so.  However at the hearing, the Attorney General informed the Court of Appeal that the Jaffna Campus authorities would not hold a disciplinary inquiry against the five undergraduates.  ( Continued)