brand logo

Buddhasasana Ministry claims yet to receive Easter donation

27 Apr 2021

The Ministry of Buddhasasana, Religious, and Cultural Affairs stated it had not yet received the donation purported to have been made by the Muslim World League (MWL) organisation to the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) for use on behalf of the victims of the Easter Sunday terror attacks, The Morning learnt.  Speaking to The Morning, Ministry of Buddhasasana, Religious, and Cultural Affairs Secretary Prof. Kapila Gunawardana said that the Ministry has not received the MWL donation for the victims of the Easter Sunday bombings, despite a letter by the MWL stating that it would expedite the provision of the funds to the Ministry.  According to a letter sent by North Western Governor A.J.M. Muzammil to Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa in April 2020, Muzammil had been contacted in 2020 by the MWL which had informed him of their desire to expedite the provision of the funds, which had not been received by the previous United National Front (UNF)-led Government in 2019.  The correspondence between Muzammil and the MWL, as seen by The Morning, states that the MWL had not disbursed the funds in 2019 since a report that was requested from the GoSL about the Easter Sunday attacks had not been received.  However, as of 27 April 2020, the MWL had been ready to expedite the disbursement of the aforementioned funds to the Ministry. Ven. Dr. Omalpe Sobitha Thera recently lodged a complaint with the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) requesting an investigation into the alleged MWL donation to ascertain whether the funds had been received and used.  The second-year anniversary of the co-ordinated suicide bomb attacks on Easter Sunday that claimed 269 lives was marked on 21 April 2021.  


More News..