Hindu Affairs coordinating sec. to meet President

The President's Hindu Affairs Coordinating Secretary Rev. Ravi Shankar said yesterday that he would meet President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Presidential Secretary Lalith Weeratunga today to discuss with the threats and hindrances from other religions and various persons to the performance

of Hindu rituals, He said he had attended the religious activities held on Friday at the Munneswaram Kovil in Chilaw at the request of Presidential Secretary Lalith Weeratunga and held a discussion with Sivabada Sundaram, the chief priest of the Kovil.

The chief priest had agreed to inform Rev. Shankar when they decided on a date to perform the sacrifices -- which has been postponed. The chief priest had said the date of the animal sacrifice would be decided by a committee of the priests of the Kovil, after working out an auspicious time and that the presidential secretariat would be informed.

Rev. Shankar said he would inform the President about the recent incident where a Buddhist priest had obstructed the vehicle parade of the Kali Amman Hindu Kovil in the Dambulla Area.

Co-Chairman of the National Alliance for Religious Harmony, Priest Kurukkal Mohan Sharma said the government should act immediately to avoid a confrontation between followers of different religions which would disrupt the prevailing peaceful situation in the country and also safeguard the democratic right of religious leaders to conduct their religious rituals.

He said these events might bring the country into disrepute as one that does not uphold the democratic rights of the people.