Bhikku Front demands anti-Buddhist NGOs banned

[TamilNet, Thursday, 22 January 2004, 15:46 GMT]
The National Bhikku Front (NBF) Thursday afternoon held a demonstration to protest against the functioning of several non-governmental organizations (NGOs), which the NBF claimed as endangering the Buddhist religion and sovereignty of Sri Lanka. In a memorandum submitted to Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge, the NBF urged her to take immediate steps to ban such organizations to safeguard Buddhism, sources said.

Earlier large number of Buddhist monks assembled close to the Bo Tree, which is located in front of the Fort Railway Station in Colombo and held a demonstration holding placards demanding the ban on selected NGOs, sources said.

Buddhist monks also held a special prayer at the Bo Tree shrine and later proceeded to the President's Secretariat in procession where they handed over a memorandum to the Presidential Senior Assistant Secretary Mr.D.S.Gunaratne, sources said.

The Secretary of the NBF Venerable Galewela Chandraloka Thera said maximum pressure would be exerted on Sri Lanka's President to order a ban on some NGOs, which have been engaged in anti-Buddhist activities in the country, sources said.