Mr. A Nawan, Deputy Solicitor General of Sri Lanka-Giving the middle finger: - Some thoughts on the Buddha and his teaching

Mr. A Nawan, Deputy Solicitor General of Sri Lanka-Giving the middle finger: - Some thoughts on the Buddha and his teaching

Dambulla attack videos fake says leading monk

April 24, 2012

A senior Buddhist monk in Sri Lanka who led the protest in Dambulla against a mosque and a Hindu Kovil charged the video footage reporting the attack was fake.

	Mahanayaka of the Rangiri Dambulu chapter Inamaluwe Sumangala thero

Over a thousand people waving Buddhist flags forcibly stopped Friday prayers in the Masjidul Kairiya mosque in Dambulla and destroyed the contents of the mosque.

Peaceful and democratic

The Mahanayaka of the Rangiri Dambulu chapter Inamaluwe Sumangala thero told BBC Sandeshaya that he only led a 'peaceful and democratic protest against illegal constructions'.

He maintained that no violence was used.

Media organisations denied doctoring footage of the attack on the Dambulla mosque last week.

Technically manipulated

The convenor of the Free Media Movement (FMM), Sunil Jayasekera said the claim by Ven. Sumangala is an attempt to cover up the violence unleashed against the minorities in the country.

"Videos that portrayed the protest as violent were technically manipulated," said the Mahanayaka thero who also heads a media outlet.

"We saw the video footage on several television stations and have no reason to believe that the images were doctored." said Jayasekera.

unprecedented behaviour by monks

Ada Derana TV which reported the attack on the mosque denied the allegation that the videos were technically manipulated.

"We have not carried any doctored footage of the Dambulla violence and we stand by the authenticity of the material sent by our local correspondents," a spokesperson for Ada Derana told BBC Sandeshaya.

BBC's Charles Haviland in Colombo says that a monk was seen exposing himself against the mosque as an insult

The raw footage had to be edited to maintain the dignity of the people who participated in the protest, added the spokesperson.

Journalists at the scene had reported unprecedented behaviour by demonstrators.

BBC's Charles Haviland in Colombo says that a monk was seen exposing himself against the mosque as an insult.