Finance and Mass Media Minister Mangala Samaraweera today condemned “in the strongest terms,” the Buddhist monk led mob attack on Rohingya refugees under UNHCR protection in Mount Lavina
In a video statement published on Facebook the Minister said, “I condemn these actions not only as the Minister in-charge of media, but also as a Buddhist who is proud of the fact that Buddhism is a religion of non violence and compassion.”
“In fact, this is not the first time Sri Lanka has given temporary shelter to such refugees,” the Minister continued – “way back in March 2008 the Sri Lanka Navy rescued the survivors and they were kept here until 2012, when they were resettled in the United States.”
“In 2013, the Sri Lanka Navy rescued two boatloads of Rohingya survivors in the Eastern coast of Sri Lanka – 32 of them, and they too were kept under the care of the UNHCR until they were settled in Canada and the United States of America,” the Minister said.