Hindu temples in East face forcible removal, destruction

[TamilNet, Thursday, 01 July 2010, 10:54 GMT]
Two Hindu temples in Trincomalee are earmarked for forcible removal by the Colombo government and another temple in Batticaloa is being subjected to Sinhala militarisation, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP for Batticaloa C.Yogeswaran told journalists in Batticaloa on Wednesday.

Aanchaneayar Temple, located along Plantain Point road that leads to the Sri Lanka Army headquarters in Trincomalee and Vishnu Temple along Orr’s Hill Beach Road have been earmarked for forcible removal by the Sri Lankan law enforcement authorities on the pretext that they have been constructed without the approval from relevant lawful authorities, Mr. Yogeswaran said citing complaints from the Hindu community leaders in Trincomalee.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka Army (SLA) was preparing to establish a military camp at Thaanthaamalai Murukan temple in Batticaloa.

A Sri Lankan police station has already been established at the temple, Mr.C.Yogeswaran said. The Tamil ministers in Rajapaksa government have failed to even safeguard the temples from the vandalism of Sinhala extremist elements that work hand in hand with the Sri Lankan military, the MP accused.