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S.Lankan President Condemns Pilferage, Murder at Worship Places
Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga has condemned two recent acts of pilferage and murder at places of religious worship.
In a press release issued by the Presidential Secretariat available on Thursday, the president expressed shock and sorrow at the destruction caused to the historic Gadaladeniya Raja Maha Viraha by treasure hunters and the murder of Father Aba Costa by a gang that had come to rob his church.
Kumaratunga said the government has ordered that the strongest possible legal action be taken against criminals who destroy such places of worship which are the nation's symbol of veneration and pride and those who kill peaceful members of the clergy.
She said these incidents were the result of a political culture spawned by state terrorism and the reign of terror unleashed by political groups in the north and south.
Consequently, criminal acts committed by a few army deserters and the continuing effects of a now defunct corrupt political system are apparently contributing to a breakdown in law and order, she said.
The president called on all political parties and public organizations to endorse government policy on the issue for a permanent solution to this problem.
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