While the Sri Lankan police attacked the people’s rallies that talked about the economic crisis and hunger in the country, a racist march of former public security minister Sarath Weerasekera in an area designated as a ‘High Security Zone’ was given police protection.

Before the march started, someone there strongly objected saying that politicians like Sarath Weerasekera are now speaking for archeology with false intentions.

The march went from Independence Square to Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs Ministry, and passed through a zone designated as a ‘High Security Zone’ by the recent gazette issued by Ranil Wickremesinghe. Even though this march went up to a ministry in Sri Lanka, large police teams like those present in other marches were not deployed.

Accordingly, if any other march is attacked in future in that region, this march of the former minister in charge of police can be pointed out as clear proof of unequal application of the law.

Although this march claimed to be ‘to protect archeology’, its hidden agenda was to go beyond court orders and make a new construction at an archeological site.

There, minister Sarath Weerasekera made a comment in line with ideas that were used to hide many racist incidents that occurred in this country since Black July ‘83. Such an idea was, ‘When pregnant mothers in Gonagala were cut dead, veil carts went in Colombo. That is the tolerance of the Sinhalese.’

While the people of the country are facing hunger regardless of whether they are Sinhalese, Tamil or Muslim, MP Sarath Weerasekera is engaged in a planned project to divide these races. In many parliamentary sessions during the last period, he stated, in a very racist and violent manner, that the MPs of the Tamil National Alliance are ‘well off’ because this is a ‘Sinhala Buddhist country’.

We hope to present the real situation of the Mulathivu Kurundi Temple in detail in future. However, in short, no one has acquired the Kurundi Temple land. Archaeological excavations are taking place there. This attempt is to suppress those excavations and build new temples there disregarding its archaeological value. Building a temple on a valuable archaeological site in an area where there are no Buddhists will lead to unnecessary racial conflicts.

At first glance, the Sinhalese may ask, ‘So what’s the big deal if a temple is built?’ This is a reasonable question that may arise in the mind of a common person. At first glance, there is really nothing wrong with the question. But the answer to this question is complicated. We would simply note that it is not possible to do a full analysis through this short news piece.

In summary, we must understand that Sarath Weerasekera is working to acquire the Kurundi Temple not out of love for the nation or the sasana, but to divide people through narrow political goals, and suppress real economic issues.