Buddhist monks urge Sinhalese to oppose 'package'

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 01 August 2000, 14:54 GMT]
More than 1500 Buddhist monks marched in the Colombo suburb of Maharagama Tuesday afternoon to protest against the constitutional reforms that will be tabled in the Sri Lankan Parliament Thursday. A large number of lay people also took part in the march which wound its way through the populous suburb to the National Youth Council Auditorium where a protest meeting was held.

Monks who addressed the meeting called on the Sinhala people to unite and resolutely oppose the constitutional reforms. Several speakers lambasted the government for trying to rush the reforms through Parliament.

They said that the implementation of the package would undermine Buddhism and divide the country. The meeting began around 3.30 p.m. and concluded around 6.30 p.m.