Sinhala Ravaya on a witch-hunt

2013-03-17  The controversial Buddhist group, Sinhala Ravaya on Friday and Saturday, laid siege to two Catholic religious centres in Nawala, a suburb in Colombo, and Kahatagahapitiya in Galle, threatening to storm the two places of worship. The mob alleged that the two centres were ‘defaming Buddhism’ and demanded that they be shut down. In Batapola, Kahatagahapitiya, more than 100 monks and a large number of area residents surrounded a Catholic religious centre on Saturday morning, demanding removal of the centre. Protestors obstructed the main road from Batapola to Baddegama for several hours, bringing traffic to a standstill. In another incident on Friday (15) night, a group of protestors affiliated with the Sinhala Ravaya surrounded a house, used as a religion centre in Koswatte, Nawala. The protestors alleged that the centre was ‘defaming Buddhism.’ Police said the protestors tried to storm the centre, leading to a tense situation. Sinhala Ravaya, the controversial Buddhist group, is alleged to be headed by a former Member of   Parliament of the Jathika Hela Urumaya. The group had recently held demonstrations against places of worship of other faiths as well.  (BS)