‘Govt. scared of Ven. Dambara Amila supporting the General’

(December 28, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) The government is scared of the Venerable Dambara Amila Thera supporting General Sarath Fonseka, who has come forward to protect democracy and to abolish the executive presidency, says the Venerable Aludeniye Sumana Rathana Thera, executive member of the National Patriotic Centre.
Addressing a media briefing yesterday, the thera said: “It is because of this fear that the Venerable Dambara Amila Thero was arrested and attempts are being made to tarnish his image.

“They believe that with such acts they could remove the Dambara Amila Thero from the role he is playing in the political arena,” said the Venerable Aludeniye Sumana Rathana Thera.

The arrest of the Ven. Dambara Amila Thero, Secretary of the National Patriotic Front, is politically motivated, says Vijitha Herath, JVP parliamentarian.

Addressing a media briefing, Herath said that the venerable thero had expressed views about democracy and the freedom of the motherland at a public rally in Homagama on Saturday.

“After that he attended a birthday party of a child of one of his university batch mates to chant prirth. It was there that the CID arrested him claiming that they wanted to question him and he would be brought back.

“They had come in a van and the thero was taken in that van to the CID headquarters.

“Then I telephoned the IGP personally. Then the IGP told me not to worry and that nothing would happen. He said that the thero needs to be questioned and asked me to send alms.

“Then I told the IGP that it was not a question about alms and I asked him whether he was not planning on sending the thera back and was it the reason why he was asking us to send alms.

“That proves that the thera's arrest was preplanned. It was due to a conspiracy that the CID was sent on Sunday and the thera was detained the whole day .

“This is clear political revenge. It is due to political revenge that Dambara Amila Thera who worked with commitment against separatists' terrorism and for the sake of the motherland was arrested,” said the JVP parliamentarian.