Sri Lanka generally respects religious freedom: US report

Sri Lankan Government generally respected religious freedom last year, although in some instances, local authorities were not effective in responding to attacks on members of minority religious groups, the United States said in a report.

The International Religious Freedom Report for 2012 released recently by the US Department of State, said the constitution and other laws and policies protect religious freedom, but there were reports of societal abuses and discrimination based on religious affiliation, belief or practice.

Attacks on Christian churches by Buddhists and some societal tension due to ongoing allegations of forced or ‘unethical’ conversions continued, but according to the report, number of such attacks was fewer than in previous years and also less in scale. “However, intolerance and discrimination against Muslims by some Buddhists increased during the year,” the report noted.

The US Embassy officials in Sri Lanka have expressed US Government’s concerns about religious freedom, particularly attacks on churches, to the Sri Lankan Government leaders and urged them to arrest and prosecute the perpetrators.

According to the 2012 International Religious Freedom Report, the Ambassador and other embassy officials have regularly met with representatives of all religious groups in the country to review a wide range of human rights, ethnic, and religious freedom concerns. During these meetings with religious group leaders, senior US officials have discussed religious freedom, including reconciliation efforts and harassment of minority groups.

“Accordingly, the US Embassy has undertaken a number of projects promoting interfaith dialogue and cooperative engagement supporting interfaith efforts to promote a peaceful resolution of the underlying causes of conflict,” the report said.