Mahanayakes urge LTTE:

Let civilians go

CHAMIKARA WEERASINGHE

The Mahanayakas of the Malwatte and Asgiriya Chapters yesterday called on the LTTE to release Tamil civilians held by them in the Vanni requesting them to let go of their grip on innocent civilians as human shields.

A retinue of Buddhist monks from the Malwatte and Asgiriya Chapters, led by the Mahanayaka Thera of the Asgiriya Chapter Most Ven. Udagama Sri Buddharakkhita and Anunayaka Thera of the Malwatte Chapter Ven. Atthadassi Anunayaka Thera have called upon the LTTE to release Tamil people who have been held captive by them in the North so that they can move to safer areas, after returning from a visit to the Vanni yesterday.

The members of the Mahasangha had visited the Vanni at the invitation of Northern Province Governor Dixon Sanathchandra Dela, who accompanied them to observe the cleared areas in the Vanni.

Diyawadana Nilame of the Dalada Maligawa Dela Bandara was also in the group. Dela Bandara said a community of Buddhist monks, comprising 15 members of Mahasangha from the Malwatte and Asgiriya Chapters had visited the Vanni following their visit to Kebithigollawa with the Malwatte Maha Nayaka Thera Most Ven.

Tibbotuwawe Sri Sumangala Thera, where they had a temple reconstruction program. Explaining what they had experienced during their visit to the Vanni, Bandara said, they were able to visit hundreds of Tamil people living in the Vanni inside camps under Government protection and support.

They are provided with food , drink, clothes and shelter from the Government. We learned that they are also helped by UN organisations, he said.

“In the camp located in the area called the “Manik Farm”, there were 1,000 displaced, of which 269 are children,” he said.

“Since our group had a Buddhist monk who could communicate in Tamil , we were able to gather some idea about their life in the Vanni.

They have been under tremendous pressure under the terrorist rule for years,” he said.

“The Government has already established Vocational Training Institutes in some of the camps ,” he said. The Tamil people in the camps said , they had never expected the people of the South to be so friendly and caring , he said.

“It will be our duty and the responsibility to ensure their freedom and prosperity as Sri Lankans,” he added.