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Sri Lankan soldiers took part in a religious ceremony last week to unveil a newly constructed Buddhist stupa in Jaffna, reports official military media.
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Troops and senior officers took part in an all-night chanting ceremony and received blessings from Buddhist monks as they unveiled the stupa, constructed at the ’55 Division temple premises’. More ceremonies took place the following day.
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“14 Buddhist monks, Brigade Commanders, Commanding Officers of under command Battalions, troops of each Brigade were also present at this meritorious event,” reported an official army website.
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The latest construction comes after a US State Department report warned the continued construction of Buddhist statues in non-Buddhist areas in the North-East has left Tamil civil society with the perception of “Buddhist Sinhalese religious and cultural imperialism”.