Govt. says Buddhism will remain paramount in new Constitution

Reuters: Sri Lanka’s prime minister said on Wednesday Buddhism will remain paramount in the bitterly divided island, seeking to head off protests led by the powerful Buddhist clergy against proposed changes to the Constitution.

The Government announced plans last January to devolve power to provinces including in areas dominated by the country’s ethnic Tamil minority in an effort to address alienation and bury the kind of ethnic tension that led to a 26-year civil war

But Buddhists who make up 70% of Sri Lanka’s 21 million people are opposed to any changes in the constitution under which Buddhism is accorded foremost position while allowing people of other faiths to practice.

Sri Lanka has chosen only Buddhists to the post of president and prime minister since independence from British colonial rule in 1948. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said the Buddhist character of the country would not be touched.

“We are in the process of preparing the new constitution...the president and myself have agreed to maintain the priority given to the Buddhism in the constitution as it is,” Wickremesinghe told a group of Buddhist monks in Colombo.

More than 75 prominent monks last week warned the Government not to change the Constitution or it would face consequences.

The Opposition, led by former president Mahinda Rajapaksa, and hardline Buddhist groups have warned the Government of nationwide demonstrations if the Government went ahead with changes to the charter.

Some Opposition members have alleged that the new Constitution had been drafted to please Western nations and to dilute the influence of Buddhism.

More than 100,000 people were killed in the civil war that ended in 2009 in a crushing defeat for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam fighting for a separate homeland for the Tamils.

PM says essential to conserve Dambulla Cave Temple complex to maintain World Heritage status

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said yesterday it was essential to conserve the Dambulla Cave Temple Complex if the historic Buddhist site is to retain its UNESCO World Heritage status and it is up to the Buddhist prelates to decide the fate of the religious site.

Meeting with a group of young Buddhist monks at the Temple Trees, the Prime Minister spoke about the opposition to a recommendation made by the Archeology Advisory Board to close the historic temple for conservation.

The Prime Minister said the government is dedicated in protecting places of archeological importance and the government has initiated a proper plan to safeguard such places.

He explained that the Dambulla Cave Temple Complex is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site and if not properly maintained the historic site will lose its World Heritage status.

However, if the Maha Nayaka Theras (chief prelates) do not want, the government can stop the conservation plans and the site can be taken off the list. It is up to the Maha sangha, he said.

He said it is unfortunate if the Cave Temple Complex is to lose this status at a time UNESCO is considering the declaration of several other Sri Lankan sites including Horton Plains as world heritage sites.

The Premier said the Chief Prelates can discuss the matter with the UNESCO and consider the options

The Prime Minister said he expects to obtain a report pertaining to the protection of archeological and heritage sites within three weeks.

He expressed concern that some factions are using religious matters in order to gain pity political objectives.

Reportedly, and Education Ministry statement has earlier said that the Archaeological Advisory Board has decided to temporarily close the historic Rangiri Dambulla Cave temple complex for both local and foreign tourists for conservation as it is facing imminent deterioration.

Media reports said the extremist Buddhist groups have vowed not to let the government to close the Dambulla Raja Maha Vihara Complex or any other temple in the country using any international laws.

However, the Ministry of Education today said that there is no truth on the report of closing the Temple. The Ministry clarified that the Archeology Advisory Board recommended a temporary closure of this cave temple for renovation work during the board meeting held recently. However, the decision is not implemented as of this date.