Sri Lankan police forcibly remove Tamils protesting Buddhist temple construction in Trincomalee

by Ephraim
Oct 5, 2023

On Sunday, October 1st, Sri Lankan police removed protestors in Trincomalee who were demonstrating against the illegal construction of a Buddhist temple. The police action came after reading out a court order that banned eight individuals from protesting in the area on that day, citing section 106 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

The court order specifically prohibited the protest from taking place at the Illuppaikulam junction, the road near the junction, or any areas surrounding the Beralukantha Rajamaha Viharaya, where the temple is being constructed near the Nilaveli main road in Iluppaikulam.

The police enforced the court order, preventing protestors from speaking to the media about their removal or the ongoing protest. Among those named in the court order were politicians, including Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Trincomalee district chapter organiser Shanmugam Kugathasen, Batticaloa MP Shanakiya Rasamanickam, TELO MP Govindan Karunakaran, and others.

This protest is part of broader efforts by political parties and activists to oppose the ongoing Sinhalisation of the Tamil homeland.

 

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