The newly appointed commander of a Sri Lankan military brigade in Trincomalee marked taking up his post by receiving blessings from a Buddhist monk last week, as the security forces continues its close relationship with the island’s powerful Buddhist clergy.
Colonel Priyantha Kariyawasam of the Sri Lanka Armoured Corps (SLAC) assumed duties as the 7th Commander of the 221 Brigade, which is stationed in the Eastern town, last week.
The military commander greeted troops and received blessings from a monk before taking up the post.
It has become tradition for Sri Lankan government and military leaders to pay dues to the Sinhala Buddhist clergy before taking up their post.
The Sri Lankan military in particular remains heavily involved with Sinhala Buddhism, helping to construct Buddhist viharas in the North-East and carrying out religious ceremonies. The US State Department’s International Religious Freedom Report for 2016 said the continued construction of such sites in non-Buddhist areas, left the perception of “Buddhist Sinhalese religious and cultural imperialism”.
