Mihintale chief incumbent blames Government for Trincomalee temple incident

The Chief Incumbent of the Mihintale Raja Maha Viharaya, Venerable Walawahengunawewe Dhammarathana Thera, has strongly criticized the government over the incident at the Bodhiraja Sambuddha Jayanthi Viharaya in Trincomalee, claiming that the warning signs were clear before the current administration came into power.

Commenting on the reported assault on Buddhist monks and the removal of a Buddha statue at the temple, the Thera accused the government, under President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, of being directly responsible for the events.

“Before this government was elected, we warned about the damage that would be caused to the Buddha Sasana. Those who voted for them should now regret the situation we are facing and the incidents that may occur in the future,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Mahanayaka Thera of the Amarapura Chapter, Most Venerable Karagoda Uyangoda Maithrimurthi Thera, in a letter addressed to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake yesterday, expressed his dismay over the incident at the Bodhiraja Sambuddha Jayanthi Viharaya in Trincomalee.

He said that this Viharaya had existed at this site since 1951, and in 2014, the land ownership had been conferred on the temple authorities by a Presidential decree in 2014. Therefore, he said it is regrettable that resident monks are subjected to various forms of harassment yesterday.