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Message: <blockquote data-quote="ibnanv" data-source="post: 16550982" data-attributes="member: 218596">Bodhu Bala Sena Targets  Ven Watareka Thera in Colombo and Muslims of Marichchikkatti in MannarBy Latheef Farook A small minority of Muslim families were living peacefully for  centuries in the Marichchikatti village in the Musali division in Mannar  district. They were involved in paddy cultivation and other such works  .In keeping with their religious requirement they built their own mosque  there. To help continue with their cultivation works the government has  even built a dam before 1970. Life was simple but they remained  contented lot. <a href="http://dbsjeyaraj.com/dbsj/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/NN041014.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://dbsjeyaraj.com/dbsj/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/NN041014.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></a> The dilapidated Mosque used by Mirichihikatti Muslims before they  were evicted by the LTTE in 1990. Though these Muslims returned to the  village this mosque today remains under Navy control In 1990 when the Tamil tiger terrorists ethnic cleansed the Muslims  in the north, these Muslim families in the Marichchikati village too  were driven out. They too lost all their belongings and ended up with  empty hands in refugee camps in Puttalam where, like other refugees,  languished in poverty besides facing numerous other problems. They were all happy when the government forces defeated the LTTE in  May 2009 in the hope that they too could return to their own soil and  rebuild their lives.  With the situation improving after the war they started returning to  their ancestral village of Marichchikatti only to realize that the  entire village has become jungle as they were neglected for almost two  decades. Yet they did not lose hope. All what they wanted was to clear the  jungle and live in their own soil. Pinning their hope on Allah they  jointly and individually cleared the jungle which was no easy task. They  did so with the support of the government and the divisional secretary. They were all poor and did not possess the money to rebuild proper  houses. However they built mud wall houses covered with palm eves and  settled down there. A nongovernmental organization helped them put up  these huts. Today there are around 150 families and about 500 people. This has nothing to do with Wilpattu sanctuary. However the Bodu Bala  Sena which is spearheading a fierce anti Muslim campaign, tearing apart  communities and pushing the country towards a disastrous path, began a  vicious campaign stating that the Marichchikatti is located in wilpattu  and Industries Minister Rishard Badurdeen is colonizing Wilpattu  sanctuary with Muslims. This was malicious campaign as the Marichichikattu village belongs to  Musali division in Mannar district while wilpattu, according to survey  department geographical map, is in Puttalam and Anuradhapura district.  With the BBS campaign intensifying a group of eight Buddhist monks  led by Jathika Bala Sena secretarty Ven Watareka Wijitha Thera visited  Marichchikatti village on a study tour while so called Muslim  parliamentarians who have sold their souls for positions and perks were  busy watching cricket match. Contrary to BBS   propaganda they found that Muslims were living in  their own village in Marichchikatti and not inside the Wilpattu  sanctuary. <a href="http://dbsjeyaraj.com/dbsj/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/MP041014.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://dbsjeyaraj.com/dbsj/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/MP041014.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></a> Maruchchukatti people’s latest situation These Muslims have also produced deeds and all other relevant  documents for their lands. They had also shown evidence of an old mosque  there before they were evicted. This mosque is now under Navy control. People in the area also pointed out that there is a village called  Pookkulam which is purely a Sinhalese village inside Wilpattu.However  BBS raised no question about this. On their return to Colombo the Jathika Bala Sena team led by Rev  Watareka Thera, who is also UPFA Mahiyangana Pradesiya Sabha member and  keen on maintaining centuries old communal harmony and peace between  Sinhalese and Muslims, organized a press conference at Nippon Hotel,  Slave Island, Colombo  on Wednesday April 9. The media briefing, which was also the inaugural conference of the    JBS- an organization by its definition professing values antithetical to  the BBS.  In this regard Ceylon Today report of 10 April 2014 had this to state; While Buddhist monks, Moulavis and several Muslim civil society  representatives had also attended the JBS media briefing, it is reported  that the BBS’s request to participate in the press conference was  refused by the JBS precipitating the shouting match that ensued. The BBS which was accusing Minister Rishard Badurdeen of illegally  settling Muslim colonies inside Wilpattu National Park requested that  their revelations be logically challenged and refuted immediately in  open view of the media representatives. At the alleged failure to do so  the BBS had then allegedly proceeded to chase out the Muslim   leaders  or Moulavis of the JBS from the premises.  In order to ascertain whether the remaining priests of the JBS were  indeed Buddhist monks or mere men in robes   Ven Galagoda Aththe  Gnanasara Thera   posed some questions to the group about the  sasana(monkhood) which the group had miserably failed to answer  satisfactorily. Several young samanera monks who had come with the BBS had shown signs of distress and been shook up during the incident. <a href="http://dbsjeyaraj.com/dbsj/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/MP041014A.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://dbsjeyaraj.com/dbsj/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/MP041014A.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></a> Meanwhile Ven Wateraka Thera said that the “press conference was  summoned to launch his barely a week old organization JBS under the  theme “national and religious unity and reconciliation”. Within minutes  after arriving at the venue Ven Gnanasara Thera,Ven Nandea Thera and 25  to 30 others pushed past even the police and surrounded me. They pinched  me, assaulted me, and pulled my robe.Ven Gnanasara Thera then told his  group to go and get a sarong and skull cap which Muslims wear for me to  wear. They stole five files of me which contained very important  documents”. The monk continuing his ordeal said; Then Ven Gnanasara Thera  threatened me and asked me to make a statement which he had prepared    to the effect of me apologizing and begging forgiveness for disgracing  the sangha and Buddhists in front of Muslims. I was asked to disown my  organization-the JBS.Because I feared for my life and I was under duress  I went ahead and said what he wanted me to say.  Soon after other police personnel came and I was taken to the Slave  Island Police Station where I made a complaint. Even if one dies after  another, until my last breath I will fight for national and religious  reconciliation. I will unite this nation. The reason why the BBS did this is because I have a compact disc  containing footage of a party that the BBS had on 10 September 2010  inside the Wilpattu National Park where they drank over 25 bottles of  arrack,   drove vehicles and played cricket.They were afraid that I was  going to place this incriminating evidence in the public domain. Since  my life is under threat we will have a press conference at a much more  safer and secretive location. They left us saying that if I ever make a  statement to the media I would be cut into pieces and thrown in the  river.” Meanwhile Police Media Spokesman SSP Ajith Rohana had said that  “although nothing had happened and no arrests were made Ven Galagoda  Aththe had attempted to remove Ven Watareka Thera’s robe”.</blockquote>

Verification: Dawasata paya keeyak thibeda?

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