Paris temple attacked

Sri Lankas main Buddhist temple in Paris, France was attacked by suspected LTTE supporters on Sunday evening, said a spokesman from the foreign ministry.
He said a group of seven masked men had arrived at around 7.00 pm on Sunday and smashed the windows of the temple. The Chief Monk of the temple, the Ven. Paravahera Chandraratane Thero, and another monk had been present at the time, but no one had been hurt.

On the same evening, a group of Sri Lankan Buddhists had held Vesak celebrations at the temple -- including a ‘Dansela’.

The spokesman said the temple authorities had informed the police soon after the incident. Police had immediately rushed to the scene and started investigations. The entire attack had been recorded by the CCTV system at the temple, he said.

After the incident, the Sri Lankan Embassy in Paris had written to the French Foreign Ministry requesting immediate action to protect the Sri Lankan Community and the Buddhist temples in France.

The embassy authorities also advised the Sri Lankan community living in France to inform the police of any threat or any attack.

Earlier there were several attacks on Sri Lankan shops in France by suspected supporters of the LTTE.