The election of the new government in Sri Lanka had resulted in an easing of religious tensions, the US State Department said at the launch of their 2014 Report on International Religious Freedom.
David Saperstein, Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom said,
"After years of growing religious tensions and violence in Sri Lanka generated by hardline ethnic Buddhist groups, a new government has taken office and staked out a much more tolerant view of religious diversity. Since that time, some of these tensions have noticeably eased."
The report detailed attacks on Christians and Muslims by Sinhala Buddhist during 2014, when former president Mahinda Rajapaksa was in power.
However only last month, a group of Sinhala Buddhist monks forcibly entered a church in Bandaragama. The pastor was repeatedly harassed by monks and by officials from the Ministry of Buddha Sasana and Religious Affairs.
In April this year, the new government forced the demolition of a mosque after protests by Buddhist monks.
Related articles:
Pastor harassed by officials and Buddhist monks (09 October 2015)
Mosque to be demolished after protests (27 April 2015)
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