Mullaitivu Magistrate Court released two Tamil farmers from Kurunthurmalai who were arrested for farming, following a complaint by a Sinhala Buddhist monk alleging damage to an “archaeological” site.
At the hearing yesterday, the government lawyer had admitted that there is not an official government gazette which declares that the contested land belongs to Sri Lanka's Department of Archaeology. As a result, the case was dismissed and the farmers were released.
On May 10, three farmers were cultivating the privately owned land on May 10, when they were obstructed by a Buddhist monk, Galgamuwa Shantha Bodhi as well as police and Department of Archaeology officials before being arrested.
One of the farmers, a 16 year old boy, was released by the court but the other two Sambithampi Ekambaram and Sriratnam Kajaroopan were in remand custody until yesterday.
Tamil farmers in the region have long cultivated the land, while Buddhist monks, backed by Sri Lanka’s Department of Archaeology and state security forces, have sought to construct Buddhist structures at the site, often in defiance of court orders.
