Sri Lanka’s Justice Minister told parliament that a resolution passed by the Northern Provincial Council (NPC) condemning the building of Buddhist places of worship in the North-East has “no legal standing”.
The Island reported Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe as telling parliamentarians that the Sri Lankan constitution did not provide any legal basis for the NPC to enforce the resolution, which called for an immediate cessation to the building of Buddhist viharas.
Mr Rajapakshe, who is also minister of the Buddhasasana, went on to reassure the parliament that no such power would be granted in any new constitution. "Many people are making numerous claims but the final decision regarding the new Constitution will be taken by Parliament," he said.
His statement comes as Chief Minister of the NPC C V Wigneswaran elaborated on how the resolution condemned the building of Buddha statues in areas where there were no Buddhists. Construction work, which is often done with Sri Lankan military assistance, is often carried out illegally on privately owned land.
See more from the New Indian Express here.
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