Sri Lankan police have apologised after they “married” nine sniffer dog pairs in a Buddhist ceremony.
Police said the weddings were arranged to promote domestic breeding of sniffer dogs, but apologised for offending cultural sensibilities.
The Culture Ministry condemned the ceremony, with minister T B Ekananayake saying the police had "contemptibly devalued" weddings in a devoutly Buddhist country.
"This is not acceptable according to our cultural norms," Ekanayake said.
"We are people who really value out traditional weddings - which are only done at auspicious times alongside the chanting of stanzas and [other] poruwa rituals.
"The police have demeaned all this by conducting this in the Kandy - the city of the [famous Buddhist) Temple of Truth. I totally condemn this."
The newlywed dogs were driven by police vans to enjoy their “honeymoon” in the hill resort of Nuwara Eliya.
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.