Posted on 06/10/2005 8:42:35 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Sri Lankan police on Friday foiled an attempt by seven Buddhist monks to set themselves on fire in protest against President Chandrika Kumaratunga's bid to establish a Joint Mechanism with the LTTE for post-tsunami reconstruction.
Tension mounted near the Presidential palace in the centre of Colombo in the afternoon, when about 200 monks were marching to the palace to force her to desist from establishing the mechanism, which they said, would be a sell out to the LTTE "terrorists" and "separatists."
Once the march was stopped by the police after a scuffle, a young monk, Kamburipitiye Pannasara (26) sat on an iron barrel holding a bottle of petrol in his hand and declared that he was going to immolate himself. Eventually, seven monks volunteered to set themselves on fire.
When the secretary to the President, WJS Karunaratne and senior police officials failed to convince them to give up the protest, the police tear gassed the crowd and dispersed it.
Meanwhile, President Kumaratunga met the four Mahanayakes or the Buddhist High Priests in Colombo. They had been flown in by chopper especially for this meeting.
Earlier, in a letter to the Mahanayakes, delivered early on Friday, the President had said that she would take no decision on the Joint Mechanism without consulting them first.
But the protesting Buddhist monks rejected the letter saying that it contained nothing new. They wanted an unconditional withdrawal of the proposal to sign the Joint Mechanism.
In an earlier statement on Thursday, the Mahanayakes wanted the President to make a statement on the Joint Mechanism forthwith, and warned that they would issue a "Sangha Agyan" or a religious decree, calling for a meeting of the clergy and laity to decide the course of action.
Reports from Kandy on Friday said that the condition of Ven Dr. Omalpe Sobitha Thero was deteriorating fast. The leader of the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) and an MP, has been on a fast unto death for the past five days in protest against the Joint Mechanism.
That's one way to lay down your life for your principles. I agree with the Monks on this one. No reason to "join with" the terrorists at all on anything.
Bump. One never knows what will transpire in Ceylon.
You have to wonder though, if in the back of one (or all) of their minds, if their not a little bit relieved the scheme was foiled. I can't imagine a worse way to die.
It is a strange thing how these Monks can put themselves in a trance that is unshakable in it's ignorance of outside intrusion or physical reaction. When the Monk that immolated himself during the Vietnam War set himself ablaze, he did not move, he did not thrash about, he just sat there and burned to death. I hope he reached his zenith.
Wow! Can't even imagine that. I thrash around like an idiot whenever I stub my toe! Guess I'm on a pretty low level of consciousness!
No you keep in touch with your consciousness, whereas they seperate themselves from theirs. Has nothing to do with levels. Don't sell yourself short for being sympathetic to your big toe.
Thanks for the understanding! :-)
Given the penchant for the lamestream media to never be accurate you should not be so quick to judge what’s happening over there.
I have both an uncle and an aunt working in the Tamil areas hit by the tsunami, one is a Jesuit priest the other a nun, and the government is not letting any aid through to those areas. The population is living only on aid from the LTTE.
It is these same racist elements (the monks and their ilk) in the Singhalese majority that have over the decades brought about the situation on the island, by unfettered discrimination and violence against the Tamil people.
There is a major difference between the islamofasict terrorists who are trying to basically take over the world to make their Islamic utopia, and a group of people fighting for their own land and their lives that no one else can be bothered to do for them, just like the Sudan for example where thousands of Christians are being killed but no one cares.
Don’t see the UN over in Sri Lanka helping the Tamils or in Sudan, they are too busy helping the real terrorists like the Palestinians.
These monks in Sri Lanka have always been a force against any kind of peace for the Tamil people, their vehemence is akin to that of the Palestinians towards the Jews, they would like nothing better than to see every last Tamil pushed into the sea. I’m sure Lord Buddha would approve whole heartedly of their peaceful actions *rollseyes*
I hate it when a good fireworks show is spoiled but at least they were blowing up everyone around them.
I am of Irish decent. My people have been treated as third class citizens by the British for centuries. Doesn't make terrorism right. The Tamil use terrorism, which is wrong. If they fight like men should fight, I would have some sympathy. I have none for them or for the IRA who are terrorists. No racism here.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.