The suspects in an attack on a Muslim business have been released, after a court in Colombo dismissed all charges against them.
Seventeen people, including 3 monks, were arrested after last week’s attacks on a clothing store owned by Muslims, one of several attacks on Muslims in recent months.
"The case was dropped because the parties (police and the victim) did not want to proceed," a court official said, who declined to be named.
"The magistrate warned the monks to follow Buddha's teachings or face serious consequences," he said.
The lawyers for the owners of the “Fashion Bug” store in Colombo said they had to agree to the dropping of the case, for the sake of harmony between the communities.
The owners of the store had previously said their staff were living in fear, according to AFP.