Buddha Sasana and Justice Minister Dr. Wijayadasa Rajapaksa said he would visit Batticaloa to discuss and settle the religious dispute that has been cropped up in the area.
He made this comment in response to a question raised by TNA MP S. Viyalendran during the committee stage of the debate of ‘Budget 2017’ in Parliament today.
The TNA MP asked the Justice Minister why the government was not taking action against Ampitiye Sumanarathana Thera of Sri Mangalarama Viharaya in Batticaloa, for his recent abusive remarks against the Tamils and Muslims.
The Minister had replied that he was aware of the incident and that he regretted its occurrence: “It is not that we cannot implement the law strictly against such acts.
But knowing the sensitivity of these issues, we are trying our best to iron out any mistrust between the communities through negotiation,” the Justice Minister said.
“We will come there and I invite you all to be there as well. Do not misunderstand. We are worried as much as you all about these incidents that damage the national unity.
However, we act with restraint to make sure that these problems do not propagate,” he told the TNA MP.
The Minister in his speech also said the four ministers holding portfolios relevant to religion were sitting as a committee to discuss about the recent religious tensions in the country: “We have been meeting all the religious leaders with the President in the chair and we will come up shortly with a suitable mechanism deal with these issues, ” he said.