The protest was staged to prevent the erection of a statue of The Buddha at the gateway to the Batticaloa District, in front of a temple of the Hindu deity, Lord Ganesha.
The protestors including women shouted slogans, requesting those concerned not to fan religious unrest in the Batticaloa District and to remove the Buddha statue, which has been erected in an area where Buddhists hardly live.
The placards carried by the protestors read: 'What is the need for a Buddha statue where Buddhists hardly live;' 'Don't make the 'great teacher to mankind as a symbol of anarchy.'
The management of the Ganesha Temple, opposite which the Buddha statue has been erected, accompanied by the Rural Development Society, handed over a memorandum to the Government Agent of the Batticaloa District, P.S.M. Charles, through TNA Parliamentarian, P. Selvaraja, demanding the removal of the Buddha statue at the entrance to the District.
A memorandum was also handed over to the senior military officials, requesting them to prevent steps being taken put up the Buddha statue in the said area.
Batticaloa District TNA Parliamentarians, P. Selvarajah, P. Ariyanethiran and C. Yogeswaran along with the EPC Councillors, K. Thurairajasingham, R. Thurairatnam, Jana Karunakaran, Prasanna Indrakumar, Nadarajah and Krishnapillai Vellimalai were at the forefront of Wednesday's protest.
The TNA Parliamentarians said the protest was peaceful. However, they lamented the presence of officers of the military establishment who were filming and taking photographs of the demonstration and those who had participated in the same.
TNA Parliamentarians added they too took pictures of the military officers who had been videoing them and the demonstration
CT
TNA MPs, EPC councilors hold protest against erection of Buddha statue in Batticaloa
[TamilNet, Wednesday, 29 May 2013, 10:11 GMT]Batticaloa district parliamentarians of the Tamil National Alliance and the councilors of the Eastern Provincial Council (EPC) and members of the public held a demonstration on Wednesday morning against the construction of the statue of Lord Buddha at the entrance to the city in front of the Batticaloa Pi'l'laiyaar Koayil.
Protestors went in procession to Koayiladi holding placards and shouting slogans against the move to erect the Buddha statue.
They shouted slogans and carried placards stating ‚“What is the need for a Buddha statue where no Buddhist living in the city. Do not make Lord Buddha a symbol of anarchy”.
Members of the Batticaloa Pi'l'laiyaaradi Sri Pulavi Pillaiyar Koayil committee, Koththuk-ku'lam Sri Muthtumaraiamman Koayil committee and Pi'l'laiayaaradi Rural Development Society committee handed over a memorandum to the Batticaloa district TNA parliamentarian Mr.P.Selvarajah to be submitted to the Sri Lankan Government Agent of Batticaloa District.
Thereafter a delegation of TNA district parliamentarians and EPC councilors handed over the memorandum to the SL Government Agent and the ‘District Brigadier’ of the occupying Sri Lanka Army.
Batticaloa District TNA parliamentarians Messrs P.Selkvarajah P.Ariyanethran and C.Yogeswaran and EPC councilors K.Thurairajasingham, R.Thurairatnam, Jana Karunakaran, Prasanna Indrakumar, Nadarajah and Krishnapillai Vellimalai were in the delegation that met the SLGA and the ‘District Brigadier’ of the SLA.