‘We are being deceived continuously’ writes Jaffna Hindu Prelate dismissing Ranil

The Chief Prelate of the Nallai Adheenam and the All Ceylon Hindu Congress declined an invitation from President Ranil Wickremesinghe to attend an interfaith meeting chaired by him on Saturday (6) in Jaffna.

While refusing to participate in the meeting, Dr. Aru Thirumurugan who is also the Supreme Hindu Pontiff in Sri Lanka and Vice President of the All Ceylon Hindu Congress (ACHC) wrote to the President in response to his invitation.

“We are being deceived continuously,” he wrote in his letter expressing the deep sense of anguish prevailing amongst the Tamil community.

Last year on the 15th of January President visited the Nallai Adheenam (Nallur Mutt) His Holiness Somasundara Desika Gnanasampanatha Paramacharya Swamigal and Dr Aru Thirumurugan when he visited Jaffna on the occasion of Thai Pongal.

Local journalists who covered the event say, a detailed discussion took place between the President, the Hindu Prelate, and the VP of the ACHC wherein certain demands including the release of Temple lands occupied by the security forces in the traditional homeland across the North and East. Other issues including a solution to the decades-old ethnic strife were also discussed between them.

Now, while declining the invitation to participate in the inter-faith meeting Dr Aru Thirumurugan has recalled last year's meeting reiterating the demands again in his letter to the President.

“Last year during the Thai Pongal day, we had the opportunity of meeting you at the Nallai Thirugnana Sampanthar Adheenam on behalf of the Saiva people. At the same time, none of the demands placed at that time has been solved”.

Finding a permanent solution to the long-lasting problems of the Sri Lankan Tamils early was the first demand placed by both last year, which was followed by the demand for releasing the private lands used by the Military in the North and East.

In their letter handed over in person to the President, the ACHC pointed out how old temples were demolished to construct the Presidential palace in the north to be used by the Head of the State during their visit to the north.

“The Saiva temples and mutts along the Keerimalai-Kankesanthurai road have been destroyed to construct the Presidential Palace. We requested the public be permitted to go to those places again and properly use their places of worship”.

Their letter also spoke about traditional resting places built by Hindu charities for the benefit of pilgrims that were destroyed by the Military for commercial purposes.

“The Sukkravaara Thirukonachatiram (loosely translated as a triangular shaped choultry where pilgrims stayed on Fridays-where normally food and accommodation are provided to the pilgrims by the charity )along the Kankesanthurai-Point Pedro road was demolished and a Military Hotel Thalsevana has been constructed there. That land has to be returned back to reconstruct the Saiva religious mutt there again”.

The irksome issue of military camps in the war-torn Killinochi district which was considered the de facto capital of the militarily defeated LTTE was also brought to the notice of the President last year during the meeting Dr.Aru Thirumurugan recalled in his letter.

“May military camps are situated in the private lands in the Iyakkachchi area in Killinochi. So far none of which has been returned to the public”.

In his strongly worded letter Dr Aru Thirumurugan told the President there seems to be no efforts from his side to find solutions to the issues faced by the Tamil people

“It is a year now since you promised to take note of these immediately and take action. But it appears you are not taking note of any of these things. At least this time taking note of these issues in a humanitarian way come forward to solve these issues. Once you took office you publically announced that the issues of the Tamils will be solved soon. But we have not seen any effort being taken to solve the ethnic crisis. We are being deceived continuously”.

Official details collected by Members of Parliament and local journalists reveal that 3114 acres of land are still occupied by the Tri-Services and Police of which close to 400 acres of land are state-owned and the rest of more than 2700 acres of land belong to the public.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe during his visit to Jaffna now, told the District Development Committee meeting that he wanted the longstanding issue of the disappeared ‘out of the way’.