Minister of Industry and Commerce Rishad Badiutheen along with party higher ups met Buddhist monks of the North at Vavuniya Sri Bodhi Thakshinaramaya Vihara.
In the discussion Northern Province Sankanayaka Thera Kiriibbankaweva was accompanied with Chief of Sri Dharmarama Vihara,Polonnaruwa Tilakalankara Thera, Ranawara Dhamminda Thera and Monara Vyrapriya Thera.
During the discussion Minister Rishad Badiutheen made it clear that there is no connection between Wilpattu and Mannar district. The problem arose when the Muslims who were ejected from their native places during terrorism in the year 1990 went back to their places in Musali to settle their homes after 25 years. Malice propaganda was carried out by few radical Buddhist organizations stating that Muslims along with my assistance are destroying Wilpattu forest. These organizations without studying the history of this area were fed with misinformation by vested interests. Misled by these wrong information. They are attempting to project me and Muslims as unwanted wrong people among the Sinhalese Buddhist community. You are all well aware of this situation. I appeal to you to clear this wrong impression from the minds of Sinhalese and explain the real position to the Malwatta Chapters. While the President Maithreepala Sirisena was on a foreign trip to Russia, gazette notice was issued declaring that these lands belongs to the Department of Wild Life .Refugees who settled on their native places were forced to be there on the road for 40 days. Followed by this Minister Fizer Musthapha along with me and accompanied by Muslim intellectuals met the president and briefed him the plight of thrown out Muslim refugees in Musalai. Rightly the President appointed a high powered committee to look into all aspects of this Wilpattu issue and submit a report to him. The committee in turn has submitted the report to him. Though 6 months have passed since submitting the committee report, still it was not published. We continue to insist to publish this committee report and clear the Wilpattu issue once and for all.
Further, when the Ministers led by the speaker Karu Jeyasuriya went and met the Malwatta Asgiriya Chapters, Malwatta Mahanayake Thera enquired about Wilpattu issue. I explained to him about the realposition and requested him to send their representatives to the spot and get a first class information, Minister concluded.
After a patient hearing , Buddhist monks of the Northern province responded thus” You are the only Minister helping us as well as Northern Province is concerned. Though you are a Muslim, you helped and assisted us in various ways to reconstruct a number Buddhist Vihara in the North You were instrumental to construct roads leading to vihara. During war period when we were under threat and all others were frightened to step into our places, you dared to come and helped us in the hour of need. We have not forgotten it. We went to Wilpattu and studied the real situation. We visited the settlements and came to know the accusation levelled against you and Muslims are far from truth. When we disclosed the real truth about Wilpattu, we were scolded by some section of the society. The Buddhist monks of the South who accuse you never discussed about these matters with us. They make use of the Satellite pictures and twist it according to their wish during malice propaganda. Once we met the Malwatta Mahanayake Thera, he asked about wilpattu. We told him the real position. Then he said Minister Rishad Badiutheen is rendering a good service to Muslims. Like him no Sinhala Minister is working to help our people,the Malwatta Mahanaye Thera said.”
Towards the end of the meeting Buddhist monks and others felt the importance of establishing a structure to remove the misconception the Sinhalese have against Minister Rishad Badiutheen and Muslims in connection with the Willpattu matter.
