Buddhist monks oversee vihara construction in Mullaitivu

28 April 2016

Sinhala Buddhist monks have been overseeing the construction of a Buddhist vihara in the Tamil North-East, despite an order from the Mullaitivu District Secretariat to halt further proceedings. The construction, under way in Kokkilai, is reportedly taking place with assistance from the Sri Lankan army, the navy and the police. TamilNet published footage of one Buddhist monk, identified as Sri Thissapura Gunarathna, assisting in construction work earlier this week. The construction is taking place on private land owned by Mr Manivannadhas, who stated that Buddhists monks initially began occupying his land in 2012. Though a 2015 complaint by him calling for a halt in construction was upheld, work has continued at the site since.