Sri Lanka bans meetings promoting hatred among religions

Sri Lanka on Sunday announced a ban on public meetings and rallies which promote hatred among religions.

The ban will also apply to any public meeting which attempts to create a rift among any race in the country, police spokesman Ajith Rohana said.

The ban follows a statement made by President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Saturday that he had instructed the police to take action against any individual or organization attempting to spread hatred among religions or any race.

Ajith Rohana said that while freedom of speech will be respected under the constitution, any meetings which promote hatred among religions or a particular race will not be permitted. "The police will not allow such meetings to be held nor will a permit be issued,"he said.

The ban follows violence between Muslims and Buddhists in the country last weekend which saw four people being killed and nearly 80 injured and many others displaced owing to loss of property.

Local media on Sunday blamed the police for failing to prevent the violence which was ignited by comments made by a Buddhist extremist group known as the Bodu Bala Sena.

President Rajapaksa said Saturday that some in the international community are attempting to make use of the situation in Sri Lanka for their benefit.

He urged all Sri Lankans to understand the situation at hand and work towards co-existence among all communities. "No one can take the law into their own hands. I have instructed the police to take firm action against anyone violating the law,"he said.

The president denounced violence and said that all Sri Lankans must be respected and their traditions also equally respected.