Sri Lanka Monitor January-March 2004

Church under attack

ACCORDING to the US State Department’s 25 February Sri Lanka Country Report on Human Rights Practices, there were reports of assault on Protestant and Catholic churches by Buddhist mobs in 2003, often led by extremist Buddhist monks. Buddhist groups accuse the churches of religious conversions. Police were reluctant to pursue Buddhist monk agitators out of deference for their position. The Sri Lankan Constitution accords a foremost position for Buddhism, but allows freedom for other faiths. Reports say that in February, the Human Rights Commission appointed senior lawyer Raja Gunasekara to investigate the attacks. Between January 2003 and January 2004, 136 Christian places of worship were attacked. On 15 January 2004, a mob attacked St Michael’s Catholic church near Homagama, 14 miles south-east of Colombo. Firebombs damaged the Anuradhapura office of the Christian humanitarian agency World Vision on 8 February. After stern instructions from President Chandrika, the police arrested a 12-member gang, behind the attacks on 30 churches in Homagama and surrounding areas. The Christian church is also accused of involvement in the death of Buddhist monk Gangodawila Soma Thero, who died of heart attack in Moscow in December last year. He was an outspoken critic of religious conversions. Following a meeting with a delegation of Buddhist monks, President Chandrika appointed a three-member Presidential Commission in mid-March to investigate his death and submit a report within three months. The Commission is headed by retired Supreme Court judge Punniyadasa Edirisuriya.

Next article.
Back to Sri Lanka Monitor Index page
Back to The Refugee Council Welcome page