Tamil MPs question alleged inaction on monk’s racist outburst

ECONOMYNEXT –Legislators representing Sri Lanka’s Tamil community have questioned alleged police inaction on a Buddhist monk accused of inciting “racial hatred and violence”.

Opposition Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian M A Sumanthiran writing to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) on Friday October 27 said Mangalaramaya Ampitiya Sumana Thero has threatened to cut Tamils living in Sri Lanka’s south “to pieces”.

“Ven Sumana Thera has repeatedly attacked TNA Batticaloa District MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam and has also gone on to explicitly threaten all the Tamils living in the south, stating that he will cut them to pieces,” said Sumanthiran in his letter to the chief of police.

The MP said the monk’s remark is “blatantly an offence” punishable under Sections 3(1) and (2) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) Act No 56 of 2007.

“Why has the police not taken immediate action against the said venerable thera?” the MP asked.

Sumanthiran’s TNA colleague Rasamanickam tweeted Friday morning that action taken or not taken on the matter will demonstrate whether the use of the ICCPR Act is selective.

“Action taken/not taken on this matter will show us if the ICCPR Act is only to be used against those opposed to the government, Tamils and Muslims in Sri Lanka or if it is against hate speech,” he said.

The comments from the TNA MPs came after a video of the monk making the vitriolic remarks went viral on social media. Videos of angry outbursts by the same monk have gone viral in the past.

This particular incident reportedly occurred after a cemetery said to have been the final resting place of Sinhalese people who lived in an area of Batticaloa was allegedly bulldozed, which had angered the monk.

Tamil Progressive Alliance (TPA) MP Mano Ganesan also questioned the monk’s behaviour.

“If he has an issue with the MP of the area and municipal commissioner, there are channels to address such grievances. But here he’s inciting racial hatred and violence. This is unacceptable and disgusting,” Ganesan tweeted Thursday evening.

“Isn’t this in clear breach of ICCPR Act Section 3? Over to Mr President,” he said.