Putting the defense min and Buddhist clergy in-charge to resolve encroachment issues in the Eastern Prov archeological sites is a bad move for reasons often overlooked by both camps opposing and supporting this move. Most of the sites are actually encroached by the Maj comm farme https://twitter.com/thyagir/status/1264024241235771395

As a part of their illegal encroachment of forest reserves in the East. Best example is the ongoing encroachment of the Kumbukkan forest reserve from the Athimale and Kotiyagala villages. These forest reserves in the Kumbukkan Oya basin was first surveyed by a team of Jap archeol

Back in 1984 leading to the last major discovery in SL archeological history- Budupatunna Mahayana statutes deep inside Kumbukkan forest reserve on the banks of Wila Oya. These sites were ravaged by treasure hunters soon after. Another example is the Mailla cave temple in Kotiyag

That is one of the few sites that still has Anuradhapura period frescos similar to Sigiriya. Entire forest reserve surrounding Mailla was cleared by the Kotiyagala farmers during the late 70 - 90. Archeological department is severely understaffed to place even a guard to protect

Most of the archeological sites in the East, and most of the sites deep inside the jungles of Kanchikudachcharu, Weli Oya , Kumbukkan, and Somawathi- Verugal remains undocumented to this date - let alone gazetted and demarcated. A saving grace is that most of these sites are

Within the protection of national parks or protected forest reserves - but that hasn’t saved them from the decade long hunting for archeological treasure a. Villagers in Kotiyagala are full of stories about how a famous actor who was appointed by Pres Premadasa as a working direc

To timber department, camped in Kotiyagala for months and personally plundered many of the sites between Kotiyagala and Kebilitta. Departments of archeology , wildlife conservation and forest conservation are severely understaffed compared to the number of ancient sites to protec

Strengthening these departments is the need of the hour. There are enough existing laws / demarcations that can be used to evict the encroachers. Defense min and the clergy shouldn’t play a role in this . It only complicates things