Indigenous people unseated by the First Lady

Monday, 06 August 2012

The indigenous people who had arrived to views the Kandy Dalada Perahera have been treated unfairly due to the arrival of First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa to witness the perahera on July 28th. Leader of the indigenous people and the rest of his clan have had to leave without watching the perahera as a result.

Head of the indigenous people, Wannielaeththo says that the Dalada Maligawa officials have unseated their group amounting to about 40 persons when the First Lady had arrived. The indigenous people have been sitting on the sits that had been allocated to them for decades.

The indigenous people say that it has been a tradition for them to offer bee’s honey to the Dalada Maligawa during the perahera. Wannielaeththo has said that the tradition was re-commenced by his father Uruvariuge Tissa Hami and that he too has been continuing with the tradition for the past 15 years.

The indigenous people have noted that they have been treated unfairly by the Dalada Maligawa officials when they had arrived in Kadny to offer the honey on the 28th. After offering the honey at 10.30 a.m. they have met with the Diyawadana Nilame and other officials. Wannielaeththo had then asked the Dalada Maligawa Secretary to arrange seats for members of their clan to view the perahera. The secretary had then assigned the task to one Jayampathi.

The indigenous people have then traveled around Kandy to visit the religious places of religious worship.

When they had arrived to witness the perahera, they had inquired about their seats since there had not been any reserved for them. Wannielaeththo has said that members of their clan have not been assigned seats since the First Lady was view the perahera that day.