Army foils religious programme in Latiban

chtnews.com
News No. 50/2008, March 17, 2008

Bangladesh army personnel reportedly foiled a Buddhist religious
festival in Latiban Union under Panchari Thana of Khagrachari
district.

Sources said on 19 February 2008 Buddhist devotees organised a
religious programme at Digendra Pahar Bidorshon Bhabona Kendra
(meditation centre) on the occasion of Maghi Purnima (Full moon day in
the Bengali month of Magh). The programmes, which began in the morning
with a religious procession from Collage Gate area, included offering
of Buddha statue, offering to the Sangha and offering of eight
essentials of a Buddhist monk.

However, at 12:30 a group of army personnel from Panchari zone reached
at the venue and took position around the Vihara in a threatening
manner, reminding the devotees of the gruesome massacre of hundreds of
Jumma Buddhists at a temple in Kalampati Union under Kawkhali of
Rangamati district in 1980. The soldiers stayed there for about 2
hours hampering normal way of performing religious functions.

The religious mood of the people was soon replaced with a sense of
fear and anxiety and the organisers had to cut short the programme as
hundreds of worshipers left the venue.

Again, on 21 February, a group of army personnel from Nalkaba camp
approached the said Bhabana Kendra and enquired about its managing
committee members and the monks dwelling therein. The soldiers also
noted down the names of Buddhist monks and the amount of land
belonging to the Bhabana Kendra.

One of the devotees said harassment of the Buddhist monks is not
unusual. "Before the withdrawal of nearby Gangaram army camp, soldiers
would regularly visit the Bhabana Kendra and harass the monks" he
informed and added that now Nalkaba army camp is doing just that.

He alleged that 2 to 3 months ago army personnel from Nalkaba came and
without permission entertained themselves with pineapples from the
orchards grown by the Bhabana Kendra. They caused more damage to the
pineapple garden than they ate. Moreover, the soldiers took away
banana, papaya and assortment of other items offered to the monks.