The president of Sri Lanka Mahinda Rajapaksa has directed media organisations in the country to inform the population to desist from using images of the Buddha, printed on their media, for general purposes, reported the Daily Mirror.
The directive came after the head of the Asgiriya Chapter, Udugama Sri Buddharakkitha called on the president to stop print media from publishing pictures of Buddha or set guidelines to ensure the printed images are not used in an inappropriate manner, according to the Daily News.
The Buddhist leader said during a meeting with Rajapaksa last Thursday that printed material, bearing the image of Buddha, were used as serviettes in restaurants and to wrap consumer goods by traders, noting that this amounted to sacrilege.
We need your support
Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. Tamil journalists are particularly at threat, with at least 41 media workers known to have been killed by the Sri Lankan state or its paramilitaries during and after the armed conflict.
Despite the risks, our team on the ground remain committed to providing detailed and accurate reporting of developments in the Tamil homeland, across the island and around the world, as well as providing expert analysis and insight from the Tamil point of view
We need your support in keeping our journalism going. Support our work today.
For more ways to donate visit https://donate.tamilguardian.com.
