Tamil civil society activists and members of the Batticaloa District Coordination Committee travelled to Amparai this week, where they documented the construction of a new Buddha statue near the historic Ukanthamalai Murugan Temple.
A delegation of civil society activists from the Batticaloa and Amparai districts, alongside members of the Batticaloa District Coordination Committee, undertook a fact-finding visit to the area on Monday.
The issue first came to light after Amparai district activist T. Pradeeban revealed that a Buddha statue had been erected on a coastal hill near Ukanthai Murugan Temple. However, Amparai District MP K. Kodeeswaran later claimed that no such installation had occurred.
In light of these conflicting statements, the delegation, led by Irudayam Selvakumar, chief coordinator of the Batticaloa District Coordination Committee, and Thurayappa Kanthan, coordinator of the People’s Voice for Environmental Justice in Amparai District, visited the site to verify the facts.
The delegation visited Ukanthamalai Murugan Temple and engaged with the temple caretaker before proceeding to the hill where the statue was reportedly placed. However, they were unable to access the hill itself, which is now under the complete control of the Sri Lankan Navy. The delegation was prevented from ascending the hill to directly examine or photograph the statue and was only able to conduct an informal discussion with an officer from a nearby naval camp.
Efforts were also made to gather testimonies from pilgrims en route to Kathirkamam who had passed through Ukanthamalai. Many veteran foot pilgrims confirmed that the Buddha statue had only appeared this year, stating they had never seen such an installation during past pilgrimages. The delegation met with the temple's former secretary, Panchacharam, to obtain historical documents and other relevant information about the site.
Local fisherfolk and entrepreneurs operating in the coastal area likewise reported that the statue had been installed just two to three weeks ago.
The delegation expressed deep concern over what they see as a deliberate attempt to impose Buddhist structures in historically Tamil and Hindu spaces under the protection of the military. They resolved to initiate further discussions aimed at halting such religious encroachments and pledged to pursue additional action.
They further noted that when efforts were previously made to install a statue of Murugan at Vallimalai within the Ukanthai Murugan Temple premises, state authorities including the Department of Archaeology and the Forest Department intervened to halt the work, citing potential damage to archaeological heritage.
No such restrictions, however, appear to have been applied to the recent erection of the Buddha statue. Delegation members condemned this selective enforcement, warning that state institutions were complicit in facilitating Sinhala-Buddhist religious impositions under the guise of official procedure.
The delegation also asserted that the current National People's Power government is continuing in the footsteps of its predecessors, betraying the pre-election pledges it made to the Tamil people.
