Sri Lanka: Radical Buddhist group Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) alive and kicking

Sri Lanka | 23 February 2016

On 25 January 2016, the leader of the extremist Buddhist group Bodu Bala Sena attended a court proceeding, blaming the court and government of prosecuting war heroes and defending Tamils, as reported by Asian Human Rights Commission on 26 January 2016. The Buddhist monk, Gnanasara Thera, was detained. Thomas Muller, persecution analyst at World Watch Research gives background information: "While in the aftermath of the elections in January 2015, radical Buddhist groups remained silent, they are now making a re-appearance and are trying to play the nationalist card by raising the sensitive issue of the country"s civil war which ended in 2009. After disrupting court proceedings, the monk received a warning and - as he did not stop his accusations - was charged with contempt of court. After an arrest warrant was issued, he delivered himself into the hands of the authorities a day later. As an article in the Sri Lankan Brief (dated 28 January) rightly points out, there is a danger that he will try to pose as a martyr for the Sinhalese (Buddhist) cause. It is also possible that his supporters will step up their efforts to attack religious minorities like Christians and Muslims. In any case, it is very likely that these minorities will be facing a tense situation in the foreseeable future."