Release International

Churches in Sri Lanka are suffering a sudden upsurge in persecution – as the country as a whole starts to look towards a future without civil war.

The number of attacks on Christians has risen sharply in recent weeks, with incidents reported all over the country, according to the National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka (NCEASL). Churches have been damaged, believers have been attacked and pastors have been intimidated, beaten and threatened.

Most recently, on July 28, an Assemblies of God church in Norachcholai, Puttlam district, western Sri Lanka, was set alight and destroyed. The congregation suffered a similar arson attack a year ago, which destroyed their original building.

In another attack, on July 12, seven men wielding swords attacked four members of a Vineyard Community church in Markandura village, Kurunegala district, also in western Sri Lanka. The four, who included church caretaker Akila Dias, were seriously injured. A few days later, the church was the subject of a leafleting campaign branding it as socially 'divisive'.

There have also been attacks in Gampaha, Polonnaruwa, Matara and Mannar districts. In three of these incidents, large mobs surrounded and attacked the homes of Christian individuals. In Radawana village, Gampaha, more than 100 people surrounded and broke into the home of a pastor, destroying furniture and shouting insults. The pastor and her husband were away: their 13-year-old daughter was alone in the house.

The growth of evangelical Christianity in Sri Lanka since 1980 has met with violent opposition from militant Buddhists, including Buddhist monks.
(Sources: Compass Direct, National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka)

• Pray that God's people in Sri Lanka will stand firm amid persecution.
• Pray that Christians in Sri Lanka will be recognised as law-abiding citizens with an important role to play in rebuilding a fractured society.

Back to top