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| Saturday, 22 May 2004 |
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Politics | |
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| Second dissident JHU MP tells Speaker : JHU 'yellow cats' aiming at our rights and at our lives In a letter to Speaker W.J.M. Lokubandara, Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) MP Ven. Aparekke Pugnananda Thera charged that the clique of 'yellow cats' in the JHU were "aiming at our rights as well as our lives". Ven. Pugnananda Thera, who said that Ven. Kathaluwe Rathanaseeha Thera was abducted and forced to resign from Parliament, said MPs "should be able to act independently and freely without being influenced by anyone". The Thera said that by failing to inform the police promptly of Ven. Rathanaseeha's arrival in Parliament, the Speaker and the Secretary General of the Parliament had done aided and abetted the undemocratic, unethical and sinful designs of those who abducted and pressurised him. "This is indeed a very grave precedent". "It is no secret that I and Ven. Kathaluwe Rathanaseeha Thera are looked upon with disfavour by a few Bhikkus who are at the helm of Jathika Hela Urumaya and the leaders of 'Sihala Urumaya' who acted behind the scene. They looked upon us with disfavour as we were not prepared to betray the mandate we got from the people at their bidding. These vile and vicious individuals threatened us with death, not once or twice but many a time by phone and also in the Parliament, demanding us to resign from our Parliamentary seats," he said in the letter. The Ven. Thera raised several questions on the JHU's conduct in the abduction case. If he was not abducted why wasn't he able to lock the doors of his temple at Moratuwa ? Did ghosts attack Ven. Rathanaseeha Thera's lay devotees who were in the temple at the time ? Later, he phoned Ven. Ariyadhaja Thera of Panadura and asked him to lock the gate and the doors of the temple as they were left open. Did he have to do so because he had left of his own ? Is the statement made by the driver of the abducted van to the police false? If there was no abduction why doesn't Ven. Kolonnawe Sumangala Thera allow Ven. Rathanaseeha to move freely? Ven. Pugnananda Thera said he requested police protection for his temple being aware of the "horrendous nature of those vile groups behind 'JHU'". However, Ven. Rathanaseeha Thera did not take an interest to ask for police protection to his temple. Ven. Rathanaseeha Thera was abducted on the night of May 17. "Before 4.30 p.m. on May 18 Ven. Kolonnawe Sumangala Thera together with a few other monks came with Ven. Rathanaseeha Thera to Parliament in a luxury vehicle. Ven. Kathaluwe Rathanaseeha Thera had to hand over his letter of resignation to the Secretary General of the Parliament while all others were surrounding him." The Thera asked the Speaker : "Tomorrow, if this robed group of Hela Urumaya abduct me, threaten and pressurise me to a situation where I allow myself to be brought before you to hand over my letter of resignation under duress, you will accept it. Is it being law-abiding? Is it how you perform your duty ?" "Why did the Secretary General immediately take action to inform the Commissioner of Elections about the resignation of Ven. Rathanaseeha Thera ? How did she display such efficiency at that moment ?," he asked. The Ven. Thera said Ven. Rathanaseeha Thera was being kept in the custody of Ven. Kolonnawe Sumangala Thera. "A media briefing was held there on May 18. Ven. Rathanaseeha was being surrounded by other robed individuals. At this discussion private media discovered that Ven. Rathanaseeha Thera, at the bidding of Ven. Sumangala Thera, saying that he was not abducted. Keeping Ven. Rathanaseeha Thera under their custody, getting to make statements at their bidding to media favourable to them is nothing but a lethal joke." ######## Says Kathaluwe Rathanaseeha Thera : 'I want police protection to return to my temple' The Ven. Kathaluwe Rathanaseeha Thera phoning in to the Lakhandamorning talk show, sounding very tired and weary told the moderator in a weak voice that he was not abducted, but pressurised to resign from Parliament. What he wanted now was police protection to return to his temple the Sambuddhi Viharaya, Moratuwa and live their under police protection. The former JHU MP monk's phone call to the Lakhanda morning show, followed his personal assistant phoning in giving a detailed account of the Ven. Kathaluwe Rathanaseeha Thera's abduction on the night of Monday, May 17. Meanwhile, persons affected by the recent exposes in the Daily News and the Dinamina were reported to be 'buying up' all available copies in several areas including, Pepiliyana, Boralesgamuwa and Maharagama. |
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