Colombo, Sri Lanka, Jan 15, 2004 / 22:00 pm
An unidentified gang attacked yet another Roman Catholic church yesterday in Katuwana, 30 km south-east of the capital, destroyed statues and set fire to part of the building. In the last two months, at least 25 Catholic churches and other Christian centres have been attacked.
The attack Thursday came one day after Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe cautioned the country about escalating inter-religious tension.
Buddhist groups are claiming that a large number of Buddhists are being unethically converted to various Christian denominations.
Buddhists account for 70 per cent of Sri Lanka's 20 million people. Catholics and other Christian denominations account for only about 1.2 million people.
Sri Lanka is currently trying to resolve its 20-year-old conflict with the Tamil ethnic minority. The conflict has claimed more than 69,000 lives.
Police said there were no injuries during the most recent attack Jan. 15. The damage to the church has been estimated at $5,000USD.