UNPRECEDENTED PUBLIC ASSAULT

Extremist Buddhist turns vicious against moderate

colombo — An extremist Buddhist group leader caused friction in the Lankan majority Buddhist community when he stormed a media conference and assaulted another prominent Buddhist clerical leader on Monday.

In a vicious verbal attack and promises of assault, the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) General Secretary Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara abused the moderate Jathika Bala Senava General Secretary Vatareka Vijitha Thera for convening the Press briefing.

Vatareka Vijitha Thera who has been speaking out publicly against hardline Buddhist movements, invited the press to reveal the “true facts about the extremist Buddhist groups who targeted the Muslim community (in Sri Lanka).”

A group of Muslim representatives were also present at the Press briefing.

Raiding the conference, the vociferous BBS saffron-clad leader, who has been convicted in a hitand-run accident while he was drunk, threatened the Buddhist leader with physical harm, snatched his documents, demanded he call off the Press conference and offer a public apology.

Shouting abuses which one Buddhist priest termed “in contrast to Buddhist preaching”, the BBS leader asked Vatareka Vijitha Thera’s group to “shut up” and “get out.”

“I apologise to you and the Buddhist community if I have done anything wrong,” said a visibly This is the first time in the recent past that a Buddhist group leader has publicly assaulted and threatened another leading cleric in Sri Lanka shaken Vatareka Vijitha Thera.

However, the priest, who later lodged a complaint against the BBS for assault told media that he made the apology “in fear of my life” before the Bodu Bala Sena.

This is the first time in the recent past that a Buddhist group leader has publicly assaulted and threatened another leading cleric in Sri Lanka. The public attack comes at the heels of a UN resolution calling for an international probe into Sri Lanka’s war crimes and human rights abuses, including attacks on Muslims and other minority communities by hard-line Buddhist groups.

A Buddhist priest who wished to remain unidentified said that he has little faith in the police taking action against the BBS members, as the group has never been apprehended for any of its attacks despite proof and video footage in custody of the police.

The government and police have been repeatedly criticised for the lack of action taken against the BBS and the Sinhala Ravaya, another radical Buddhist group for attacks on mosques, churches, Muslim individuals — and for inciting hatred.