Balangoda Kassapa Thero Among 10 Remanded Again

COLOMBO (News 1st); Venerable Balangoda Kassapa Thero and nine others arrested in connection with an incident involving a land in Trincomalee have been further remanded until the day after tomorrow.

This order was issued today when the case, filed over alleged violations of the Coast Conservation Act and unauthorized construction, was taken up before the Trincomalee Magistrate’s Court.

The controversy dates back to November 16, when Venerable Balangoda Kassapa Thero and a group of supporters launched a protest, claiming that police had intervened in an attempt to remove a Buddha statue placed on a land said to belong to the Sri Sambuddhathwa Jayanthi Bodhiraja Viharaya, located along the Trincomalee Fort Road.

However, subsequent investigations revealed that a tourist restaurant had been operating close to the coastal boundary on the same land.

Authorities later determined that the Coast Conservation officials’ attempt to remove the unauthorized restaurant structure was the true cause behind the protest.

The Trincomalee Magistrate’s Court has filed the case against 11 suspects over violations of the Coast Conservation Act and the construction of unauthorized structures.

Among those who appeared in court and were ordered to be remanded today are Venerable Balangoda Kassapa Thero, as well as Venerable Trincunamalaye Kalyanawanshatissa Thero, the Chief Incumbent of the Sri Sambuddhathwa Jayanthi Bodhiraja Viharaya, along with two other monks.