Sri Lanka's minister of Higher Education and Cultural Affairs, Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe said the government was looking to introduce changes to the law to 'protect' Buddhist religious sites.
The laws would give authorities the power to penalise individuals who vandalise Buddhist sites, he added.
"It is incumbent for all citizens to protect these places and the president has instructed me to take action to protect them," he told journalists, the Daily Mirror reported.