Building Buddhist temples, placing statues under Bo-trees: Have negated reconciliation efforts

23 August 2016 10:37 pm

Government Spokesman and Minister Rajitha Senaratne said building Buddhist temples, placing Buddha statues under Bo-trees and at junctions by the security forces after defeating the LTTE in the North-East had not done any good other than to negate the government's reconciliation efforts.

“On several occasions, I spoke to President Mahinda Rajapaksa on this matter. He accepted the negative impact of these actions but said it was not possible to stop armed forces personnel from doing so,” he said.

The minister said though places of religious observances had been erected at every opportunity, there were no Buddhist devotees to maintain them resulting in these places being abandoned.(Sandun A Jayasekera)