BBS condemns HR report by UK govt
The Bodu Bala Sena has condemned a human rights report issued by the British government which accused the organisation of increasing its campaigns against religious minorities in Sri Lanka.
The report, titled Human Rights and Democracy: The 2012 Foreign & Commonwealth Office Report, was released by the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office in April 2013.
It said religiously motivated violence had increased in Sri Lanka during 2012 and referred to attacks against Muslim places of worship.
The report also referred to an incident in Dambulla where a mob led by Buddhist monks attacked a mosque, claiming that the mosque and a Hindu shrine had been built on sacred Buddhist ground and should be relocated.
The British report said no arrests had been made over the incident and added that tensions between religious communities continued.
It then named the Bodu Bala Sena, saying the nationalist group had increased its campaigns against religious minorities.
The BBS rejected the description.
The organisation said the British government had no right to make such allegations against it and questioned the basis on which the report had been prepared.
The report covered the human rights situation in Sri Lanka during 2012 and dealt with several other areas including freedom of expression, the judiciary, disappearances, minority rights and freedom of religion.
The British government said the situation in Sri Lanka remained of serious concern, while also referring to areas where it said progress had been made.
The report said that during 2012 there had been 52 documented incidents of violence and intimidation against Protestant Christian churches and that violence against Muslim places of worship had also increased.
The BBS had by this time become increasingly active in campaigns involving religious issues.
Its campaign against halal certification had also become a major issue, while the organisation had announced further campaigns concerning sites and issues it said affected Buddhism.
The report’s comments came at a time when the BBS was facing increasing criticism over its activities.
The organisation, however, maintained that its actions were aimed at protecting Buddhism and Buddhist interests in Sri Lanka.
The British report was part of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s annual assessment of human rights and democracy in countries it considered to be of concern.
The report did not only deal with the BBS. It covered a wide range of human rights issues in Sri Lanka during 2012.
