THE NEW WAVE OF TERROR AND RAJAPAKSHA

Mayhem as monks go on the rampage

Pandemonium reigned at the Homagama Magistrate’s Court premises with three Buddhist monks threatening to self-immolate in protest against the arrest of Bodu Bala Sena General Secretary Ven. Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thera.

Ven. Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thera arrested on the charges of contempt of court, obstructing Court proceedings and intimidating a public servant was yesterday ordered to be remanded till February 9 after being produced before the Homagama Magistrate’s Court.

A large group of Buddhists monks surrounded the Homagama Magistrate’s Court, protesting against the decision to remand Ven. Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thera.

Ven Gnanasara Thera was taken to the prisons at around 5. 30 p.m. from Homagama court premises under the tight security of Special Task Force…………….. read all

THE NEW WAVE OF TERROR

Soon after President Maithripala Sirisena came to power in January, last year, ultra-nationalist Sinhhala-Buddhist organizations, namely Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) and Ravana Balaya, went into a dormant phase of some sort.

They were quite vociferous and had enormous influence when former President Mahinda Rajapaksa was in power. It was widely speculated that these organizations operated under the blessings of the top-notch members of the former administration who had no qualms about using ‘racism’ as a tool to boost their political campaign.

At one point, former Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa even took part as the chief guest of a function organized by the BBS and was seen taking photographs with the leaders of the seemingly racist organization.

It explained why incidents initiated by the BBS, such as anti-Muslim clashes in Aluthgama in the mid-2014, went uninvestigated under the previous regime. The BBS had open license to gatecrash any event that posed a threat to ultra-nationalist political campaign carried out by the previous government.

They had license to storm into government ministries, disrupt press conferences and go berserk during public events, without being questioned by the Police or other law enforcement authorities. To make a long story short, they were the watch-dogs of a seemingly dictatorial regime that unabashedly pandered to the most chauvinistic sentiments of the ethnic and religious majority to perpetuate in office………………….   READ ALL