Sri Lankan government to frame new laws to promote religious harmony within country

Sri Lanka's government will frame new laws to combat all actions that jeopardize religious harmony, Minister of Buddhist Affairs, Religious and Cultural Affairs Vidura Wickramanayaka said on Wednesday. During a press conference here, the minister said that some people are tempted to condemn other religions under the pretext of religious freedom.

"The new legislation will be enacted to combat all actions that jeopardize religious unity," he said.

"No one has the right to oppress any religion or endanger religious harmony under the guise of religious freedom. We seek to implement a new legal structure that will allow us to take legal action on the issue. It is proposed to prepare a relevant legal framework and draft a new bill in such a way that no religious faith is discriminated against," he said. His comments came as the high court here on Wednesday granted bail to a stand-up comedian, Nathasha Edirisooriya, who has been under custody for more than a month for allegedly making certain derogatory comments on Buddhism - the majority religion.

Edirisooriya had offered an apology, but a complaint was filed and she was taken into custody while trying to flee the country. Rights groups were critical of the police action to arrest her citing she had the freedom of expression. Sinhalese, mostly Buddhist, make up nearly 75 per cent of Sri Lanka's 22 million population while Tamils, Muslims, Christians and others are 25 per cent.