Ven. Sumanalankar condemns curb of religious freedom in CHT

chtnews.com
News No. 87/2008, May 19, 2008

Ven. Sumanalankar Mahathero has condemned religious persecution of the Buddhists in Chittagong Hill Tracts.

He was speaking at a religious gathering today at Janabal Bouddha Vihara at Mahazhon Para organised on the occasion of Buddha Purnaima.

He said security forces were harassing Buddhist devotees in many different ways and preventing them from practicing their religion peacefully. He asked why one would have to seek prior permission from the government and the army for constructing any Buddhist temples in CHT. "I condemn such blatant curb of religious freedom" he said.

He also urged the government to induct Jummas into Buddhist Welfare Trust, a government welfare trust for the Buddhist community in Bangladesh. He said after the death of Upendra Lal Chakma and Khularam Chakma, no one from the Jummas has been inducted into the trusty board.

In celebration of the Buddha Purnima, he led a Mongol Shova Jatra (procession for happiness) of one thousand devotees. The Jatra started at 8 in the morning from Yongdaw Buddhist Temple in Golabari and ended at Janabal Buddhist Temple at Mahazhon Para in Khagrachari town.

About 70 Buddhist monks took part in the procession.