Up to 2,000 sites in the Eastern province are subject to 'archaeological' examination says Ellawala Medhananda, a Presidential Task Force (PTF) for Archaeological Heritage Management member.
The Buddhist monk stated that preparations have begun to 'examine' the 2,000 'archaeological' sites, including forests, across Amparai, Batticaloa and Trincomalee. He further stated that if Buddhist artefacts are found at Koneswaram Temple, they should be protected.
Last month, Sri Lankan president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, announced an all Sinhala task force, which includes Buddhist monks and the head of the Derana media network, to “preserve the historical heritage of Sri Lanka” in the Eastern province.
The Eastern province, which has been claimed by the Tamil people as being historically inhabited by Tamils, has come under decades of intense Sinhalisation and colonisation from state sponsored settlement schemes. In recent years, the state has used the guise of ‘archaeology’ to take over vast areas of lands in the North-East, and mark them as ‘Buddhist sites’.
Read more here: Sinhalisation in the East - Ilankaithurai
Read more here: Sinhalisation in the East - Kallady
Tamils have also voiced fears about further appropriation of land by the state through the task force, as the gazette announced the body would be able to “identify the extent of land that should be allocated for such archaeological sites and take necessary measures to allocate them properly and legally.”
We need your support
Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. Tamil journalists are particularly at threat, with at least 41 media workers known to have been killed by the Sri Lankan state or its paramilitaries during and after the armed conflict.
Despite the risks, our team on the ground remain committed to providing detailed and accurate reporting of developments in the Tamil homeland, across the island and around the world, as well as providing expert analysis and insight from the Tamil point of view
We need your support in keeping our journalism going. Support our work today.
For more ways to donate visit https://donate.tamilguardian.com.