Addressing a ceremony to commence Multi Religious Committees in the District of Trincomalee yesterday the Prime Minister said Buddhist monks were also the protector of Sinhala, Tamil, Muslim and all other nationalities in Sri Lanka. The program will take measures to grant Rs. 100,000 for 502 religious institutions in the district.

A special award ceremony is also initiated with the patronage of Prime Minister DM Jayaratne and under the guidance of President Mahinda Rajapaksa to honour the parents of Buddhist monks who sacrificed their lives to uphold the unity of the nation during the thirty years of civil war.

The main objective of this event is to commemorate parents and relatives of Buddhist monks who sacrificed their lives to uphold the nation during the civil war. It is a need of the hour to honour the Buddhist monks and their parents at a time when the whole country is getting ready to celebrate the 2600th Sri Sambuddhathva Jayanthi.

Furthermore, steps have been taken to implement this program throughout the island and also to issue a Budu Puth Ma Piya Identify Card and start a special fund to assist them financially. In addition, a directory containing all the details of Buddhist monks in Sri Lanka will also be published.

Private Secretary to the Prime Minister Anuradha Jayaratne, Eastern Governor Admiral Mohan Wijewickrama and other distinguished officials were also present at the occasion.