JHU condemns attack on monks in Myanmar, rejects foreign intervention

Chamikara Weerasinghe

COLOMBO: The Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) yesterday condemned Security Forces of Myanmar’s military regime for reportedly using deadly force against unarmed Buddhist monks to suppress a peaceful demonstration carried out by them.

The Security Forces have opened fire at the monks who were protesting against the Myanmar Government over a fuel price hike, according to reports.

The incident had taken place in Yangon.

The dead included at least one Buddhist monk, the reports said.

JHU leader and Parliamentarian Ven. Ellawala Medhananda Nayaka Thera said they could not approve any action of this nature being inflicted on Buddhist monks by any armed group in any country.

The Thera was speaking at a press conference yesterday at the JHU headquarters in Nugegoda.

“We do not want to interfere with the internal matters of Myanmar,” Thera said. “It is in the backdrop of the much treasured and longstanding historical relationships between the two countries (Sri Lanka and Myanmar) that we call upon the Government of Myanmar to solve their problems peacefully,” he said.

Ven. Medhananda Thera said “the Jathika Hela Urumaya believes that Myanmar was capable of solving its problems without the intervention of external forces.

JHU MP Ven. Athuraliye Rathana Thera said that according to information received by them so far, the Nayaka theras of Myanmar have not taken part in the protests. “There are 600,000 Buddhist monks in Myanmar. Of them about 1,000 Buddhist monks had participated in the protest,” he said.

“Since this is an internal matter concerning Myanmar, we believe that the Myanmar regime can solve this on their own.

International powers should not interfere in the matter,” the Thera said.