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Sri Lanka further remands suspects accused of vandalising Buddha statue

A Sri Lankan court has further remanded a group that was arrested last year, accused of vandalising a Buddha statue in Mawanella, in the south of the island.

The group of eleven people have now been remanded until February 27. Amongst those being held are people who were arrested for providing accommodation to some of those accused of vandalism.

Last month Sri Lanka’s police also claimed to have seized a haul of high powered explosives and arrested at least four men who are accused of belonging to “a radicalised local group of Muslims”, as part of investigation into the vandalism of Buddha statues on the island.

Sri Lanka’s prime minister pledged to take action against those who damaged the Buddha statues, whilst another United National Party (UNP) MP said Muslims should reconstruct vandalised Buddha statues to prove their ‘sincerity’ and ‘innocence’.

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