Plantation project occupies land of evicted monasteries in Nay Pyi Taw

Plantation project occupies land of evicted monasteries in Nay Pyi Taw

Published on Sunday, 06 April 2014 19:52

Zone (1) of "Sein Talone" mango plantation project seen in Nay Pyi Taw (Photo-EMG)

Presiding monk of Shwe Wah Myaing Monastery says officials issued an arrest warrant against his monastery on April 5 after it failed to go to court for squatting charge.

The "Sein Talone" mango plantation project zone has been under way in areas where "squatting" monasteries would be evicted by authorities in Nay Pyi Taw.

Soon after the monasteries have been confiscated, the project zone is expected to be launched.

Pinnya Linkara, the presiding monk, said, "I didn't appear at the court yesterday. I passed the Dhamma-sarira [in Buddhism]. They issued the warrant today. I will wait for the day when they [officials] use force to evict us from the monastery. At 10am today, police came to warn us. They said they will arrest us if we don't move away,"

But some other monasteries were allowed to remain near the soon-to-be evicted ones.

"Why they [monasteries] are officially allowed to continue to exist? The monks living in the monasteries are like us having the Dhamma-sarira. Some became monks when they're older. Yesterday I sat an exam for Honorary Dhamma-sarira. They posted the warrant today. I will face what comes if they arrest," he added.

"The state-owned newspapers were completely wrong to say that the monks staying in such monasteries are uneducated. They made the statement to make us disrespectful for our donors. We have certificates to prove that. The places here were farmlands donated by former owners as they used to plough the plots," said the presiding monk of Nyaung Napin Monastery.

During a high-level regular meeting of the State Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee on July 28, 2012, the monks' authority decided 24 monasteries built without permission in the administrative area of Nay Pyi Taw Council were the "squatting" monasteries. Shwe Wah Myaing Monastery is among them.

However, the presiding monk of Shwe Wah Myaing Monastery said the Nay Pyi Taw Region Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee ordered him to stay there peacefully in September 2013.

The committee has instructed for an investigation into the case and report the result back. So, the case has not been finalised, the presiding monk said. He also wrote this to the judge for review.

Meanwhile, three presiding monks of the Sasana Aunglan Monastery, Dhamma Rakhita Monastery and Buddha Yadanar Monastery were recently sent to jail for six months after appearing at the court to face the charges of "squatting".

A Buddhist monastery comes into existence only based on donations made strictly in accordance to the traditional Buddhist ways.

Once the ordination hall of the monastery is established, the land no longer belongs to the government. It becomes the Sasana [religious] land and any dispute concerning about it should go to a Sangha court. The monks' authorities have to rule on the case. As long as a monk does not commit crimes like murder and rape, he should not be brought to the criminal court, said lawyer Soe Tint Yi from Myanmar Lawyers Network.

http://www.information.myanmaronlinecentre.com/plantation-project-occupies-land-of-evicted-monasteries-in-nay-pyi-taw/