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| Buddha statue on private Tamil land appropriated by the military in Kokkilaay |
Sri Lankan police arrested the owners of land which was grabbed by the army to build a Buddhist vihara after they held a protest at the location in Kokkilaay, Mullaitivu.
The owners, Thirugnanasambanthar Mannivannathas, Katharkamu Sivayogeswaran and Loganathan Jude Nimalan, held a symbolic fast outside the vihara, which is being constructed by the military, earlier today.
Police arrested the men and pressured them to abandon their protest, before releasing them a few hours later.
The Mullaitivu district, along with most of the northern districts is virtually entirely Tamil. The government was recently accused by a US think-tank of conducting a "silent war" through Sinhalisation, including by the building of Sinhala Buddhist temples in Tamil areas.
Silent war against Tamils through Sri Lanka's military occupation finds US think-tank (28 May 2015)
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| Military at the site in Kokkilaay last week (@uthayarasashali) |
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| Sign in Sinhala and English only at the building site |
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| Buddhist flags draped over the buildings being constructed |
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| Some buildings on the land have already been built, while others are still under construction |
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| Sacred Buddhist trees are planted in the complex, while existing trees are demarcated |