Buddhist monk threatens Tamil farmers in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Thursday, 01 April 2010, 19:19 GMT]
About one hundred and forty Tamil farmers cultivating paddy in 13th unit of Maha Vi’laangku’lam, now named Mahadiulwewa after the State aided colonization since the country gained independence, were threatened by a Buddhist Monk in the area to leave their paddy lands and go elsewhere. The Buddhist Monk claims that the said paddy lands are parts of an archaeological site where an ancient Buddhist Vihare was located.

The affected Tamil farmers who are residents of Chaanthipuram, a Tamil settlement in Nochchikku’lam close to Maha Vi’laangku’lam, have lodged a complaint against the Buddhist monk with the Divisional Secretary of Morawewa; its earlier Tamil name was Muthalikku’lam.

Maha Vi’laangku’lam and Muthalikku’lam were traditional Tamil villages in the north of Trincomalee district along Trincomalee-Anuradhapura highway before the country gained independence from Britain.