Deputy Minister Arun Hemachandra Must Resign — MP Shanakiyan
18-Nov-2025.
Batticaloa District MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam of the Tamil National Alliance demanded that Deputy Minister Arun Hemachandra resign and join their party. He questioned why, if the actions were legal, a Buddha statue had to be installed secretly overnight along the Trincomalee beachfront.
Speaking during the 2026 Budget committee-stage debate on November 17, he said a disturbing incident had occurred the previous night. He warned ruling party MP Dayasiri Jayasekara not to justify illegal activities for political gain and reminded the Opposition Leader that no religion—not even Buddhism—has the right to operate unlawfully.
He stated that an unauthorized Vihara had emerged illegally along the Trincomalee coast, and Deputy Minister Hemachandra had shown undue interest in it. He referred to past administrations under Mahinda Rajapaksa and Gotabaya Rajapaksa, during which, he alleged, certain extremist monks carried out illegal activities in the area. The Coast Conservation Department had lodged complaints and submitted reports to the courts, raising hope that legal action would follow.
According to Shanakiyan, a Buddha statue was suddenly installed at around 8 p.m. on 16 November 2025. After he informed Deputy Minister of Public Security Sunil Wattagala of the seriousness of the matter, the statue was removed by 10 p.m. He criticised Minister Ananda Wijepala for stating in Parliament that the statue was taken away due to threats from extremists, accusing him of succumbing to pressure from racists.
He emphasised that during the 30-year war, the LTTE did not destroy Buddhist temples or symbols, but Catholic churches in the North were demolished by the military. He insisted that Tamil people had not engaged in such actions. He urged Deputy Minister Hemachandra to resign from his position and join their party, arguing that the National People’s Power movement was unsuitable for him. He called on all Tamil politicians in the government to oppose the injustice.
Shanakiyan claimed the overnight ceremony was a political prelude to a mass rally planned for 21 November. He urged the government to stop spreading ethnic hatred merely to mobilise crowds. He expressed disappointment that Minister Wijepala had retreated from his earlier accurate statements due to fear of extremists.
He said that although the Tamil community could mobilise the North and East against such unlawful acts, they did not wish to plunge the country into crisis. He expressed distrust in the investigations into the Easter Sunday attacks and noted that even Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith had requested an international investigation. He argued that war-crimes allegations against the Rajapaksas required action and lamented that government promises on the new constitution had been rendered meaningless.
