No closure of Sri Vijaya Dhamma School in Saudi Arabia

July 26 (Daily Mirror) - A clarification has been issued rejecting claims that the Sri Vijaya Buddhist Dhamma School in Riyadh was closed on the instructions of Sri Lanka's Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Amir Ajwad, describing the reports as false and based on distorted information.

Athula Kumarasinghe, Founding Member and Principal of the Sri Vijaya Buddhist Dhamma School, said the reports alleging that the Ambassador had taken steps to close the school and hinder Buddhist religious activities were completely untrue.

According to Kumarasinghe, the Sri Lankan Embassy in Riyadh has continuously provided facilities and space for the Dhamma School since its establishment in 2007. He explained that the school's activities were only temporarily suspended for a few months after the Embassy relocated to a new premises with limited space, stressing that this did not amount to the closure of the institution.

He further said that, ahead of the 2026/2027 academic year of the Sri Lanka International School in Riyadh, the Ambassador had approved the allocation of space on both the upper and lower floors of the Embassy building for the Dhamma School despite existing space constraints, and had made the necessary arrangements several months ago.

Kumarasinghe also dismissed claims that Buddhist religious activities had been halted, noting that rehearsals for the 2026 Vesak devotional singing programme were held at the Embassy over a month with the Ambassador's approval and patronage.

He added that the main Vesak celebration was shifted to a larger venue only because the Embassy premises could not accommodate the thousands of Sri Lankans who attended the event. The alternative venue was secured with the intervention of the Ambassador and the approval of the relevant Saudi authorities, he said.

Kumarasinghe requested media organisations that carried the earlier reports to publish the clarification, maintaining that the allegations against the Ambassador were misleading and contrary to the facts.