Buddhist bhikkhu sangha announces boycotting ‘kothin chibor dan’

The Sammilito Bhikkhu Sangha of the Chittagong Hill Tracts have announced not to celebrate the ‘kothin chibor dan’, the main religious festival of the Buddhist community, this year.

The orders of monks have made the decision citing the “ongoing situation in the Chittagong Hill Tracts and lack of security” in the area as the reasons.

The announcement was made at a media conference at Maitree Bouddha Bihar’s deshnalaya (a place where religious sermons are delivered) in Rangamati town Sunday.

The month-long ‘kothin chibor dan’ was scheduled to begin in the first week of November.

The Sammilito Bhikkhu Sangha of the Chittagong Hill Tracts organised the press conference where Parbatya Bhikkhu Sangha president Shraddhalankar Mahathera read out a written statement.

Sadhanananda Mahasthabir Bana Bhante’s disciple and vice-president of the Sangha Sourajagat Mahathera, general secretary Tejapriya Mahathera, Parbatya Bhikkhu Parishad’s Bandarban chapter vice-president Gyanvamsha Mahathera and Triratna Bhikkhu Association president Agnashree Mahathera and others attended the media conference.

It was alleged in the conference that the incidents of violence took place in the hills due to direct and indirect help of the law enforcement agencies. No trial was held for any one of the communal attacks that took place until today.

It was also said in the conference that investigation committees are formed in the incidents only in name and the investigations do not see the light of the day. The Buddhist monks and the bhikkhu sangha are worried as they do not have trust in the administration.

Due to this lack of security and uncertainty, Parbatya Bhikkhu Sangha president Shraddhalankar Mahathera announced not to organise the kothin chibor dan festival at all the monasteries in the Chittagong Hill Tracts.

In the written statement, Shraddhalankar Mahathera said over 100 shops were looted, vandalised and set on fire and killings took place in communal clashes in Khagrachhari and Rangamati from 18 to 20 September and on 1 October. Four hill people were killed in the clashes. Besides, sculptures of Buddha were vandalised and charity boxes were looted.

Speaking about this, deputy commissioner Md. Mosharraf Hossain Khan told Prothom Alo, “We have heard about the Buddhist monks’ decision not to celebrate the kothin chibor dan festival. The district administration is set to hold a meeting with them tomorrow, Monday. We will hear what they say there. The law and order situation is normal, we think.”