Taliban modeled Buddhist extremists arming themselves : cache of weapons seized –Vihara chief incumbent enjoys impunity

(Lanka-e-News-25.Feb.2013, 11.30PM) A cache of weapons allegedly belonging to the Taliban modeled monks (Taliban nikaya) and religious extremists led by individuals like Champika Ranawake, Atureliya Rathane and Gologodaaththe marauder had been seized by the police, confirming that this group has started to illegally arm themselves. Yet due to the pressures exerted by defense secretary , this discovery is being suppressed.

Based on reports reaching Lanka e news , the truth unfolds as follows :

Following a tip off to the Panamura police in the Ratnapura district on 17th February early morning, when a house at Panamura ,Walalgoda was searched , a quantity of weapons had been seized. This search operation was conducted on 17th night at about 11.40 and concluded on 18th morning at 2.00.

The weapons seized are given hereunder :
One T56 ; 8 T 56 bullets; one hand grenade; C 4 explosives grams 350; one 6 m.m. secret pen model pistol ; one 11 inch pistol longer than the locally made single barrel pistol ; one T 56 bullet case ; two T 56 magazines; and 17 bullets 9 mm.

A suspect , 37 year old Sunil Shantha along with these weapons were taken into custody.

The Walalgoda Tampita purana Rajamaha Vihara is situated very close to the suspect’s house. The suspect is a supporter of the extremist fanatical religious organization. When the police interrogated him , he had disgorged that these weapons were given to him by the chief incumbent , Rathugahayaya Gunaratane of the Raja maha Vihara for safekeeping

This suspect spends most of his time in this Vihara. The residents of the area have confirmed that Athureliya Rathane M P and monk is a very frequent visitor of that Vihara. With him some other unidentified persons too come in Black defender vehicles , the residents have further confirmed.

Despite such a large cache of arms having been seized along with the suspect and the new legislation permits the suspect to be kept in custody for 48 hours by the police and interrogated , the suspect had been produced before court and remanded without any questioning the very next day itself due to the pressures applied by Gota, it is learnt. The most curious and repugnant part of this investigation is , the chief incumbent of the Vihara who had allegedly supplied these illegal arms to the suspect had neither been questioned nor taken in for questioning.

Moreover, when a large quantity of weapons are seized in this manner, what ought to be done duly is , forward the weapons to the Govt. analyst dept. for investigation . Such a procedure had not been followed.

All these blatant violations had been committed on defense secretary Gota’s pressures. Nevertheless , the residents of the area who are aware of these criminal activities had staged a demonstration on 22nd at the Panamura Walalgoda junction , demanding that the ancient Raja maha Vihara be rescued from its chief incumbent Gunarathane . The fanatical extremists and defense Secretary had however taken steps to suppress these developments from the media.

Several weeks prior to this seizing of ths cache of arms , a youth was arrested with arms at Mawanella. Among those weapons there were three secret pistols pen model type which can be loaded with 9 mm bullets. A businessman of some standing moved heaven and earth on that occasion to get this youth released. This businessman is one who had been heavily funding the Buddhist extremist organizers. On February 2nd night , Athureliya M P , the monk conducted a secret camp at Pilikuthuwa raja maha vihara , Attanagala. During the sessions, the residents of the area and the police laid siege to the camp. Following a phone call from the defense secretary , not only the police were made to desert their duties , but those officers who came forward to provide security to the residents were transferred. Recently in Parliament, Mangala Samaraweera M P , a politician of a rare breed in SL ,who has a reputation for outspokenness and truthful revelations exposed that these Taliban modeled extremist monks are being provided with funds from the secret fund of the defense Ministry.