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Weerawansa accuses authorities of bias in Kassapa Thera arrest
Colombo, January 17 (Daily Mirror) - Former Member of Parliament Wimal Weerawansa yesterday alleged that Venerable Balangoda Kassapa Thera was arrested without equal enforcement of the law and claimed that Coastal Conservation Officers were being compelled to act unfairly.
Speaking to the media after visiting Venerable Kassapa Thera at the Trincomalee Prison, Weerawansa said it was evident that the arrest had been carried out selectively, based on alleged violations of the Coastal Conservation Act, without applying the law equally to all religious sites.
Nine individuals, including Venerable Balangoda Kassapa Thera and four other monks, have been remanded until January 19 in connection with the incident involving a Buddha statue in Trincomalee.
The controversy dates back to November 16, when Venerable Balangoda Kassapa Thera and others launched a protest claiming that police attempted to remove a Buddha statue placed on land said to belong to the Sri Sambuddhatva Jayanthi Bodhiraja Viharaya along Kotuwa Road in Trincomalee.
Weerawansa further alleged that Coastal Conservation Officers had taken action against constructions carried out using what he described as scientific methods, and claimed that the arrests were influenced by directives from a minister of the National People’s Power (NPP).
“If that minister were a parliamentarian with an enlightened mindset, he would not resolve religiously sensitive issues in this manner,” Weerawansa said. He added that Coastal Conservation Officers could face difficulties in the future if they are forced to act contrary to the provisions of the Coastal Conservation Act.
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