COLOMBO: The Sri Lankan government’s claim that there are 22,254 Tamil Buddhists in the country is being challenged by the minority Tamils, who believe that there are virtually no Buddhists in their fold.

At least one Tamil leader, National Reconciliation Minister Mano Ganesan, feels that the claim is just a “propaganda” to assure the Sinhalese Buddhist majority that the minority Tamils are being won over to their fold. The Sinhalese would see this as a welcome step towards national unity after a bitter 30-year ethnic conflict and war.

The government’s claim was quoted by Mass Media Minister Gayantha Karunatilleke in parliament a couple of days ago. He quoted the 2012 census to claim that there are 22,254 Tamil Buddhists in the island, 11 of whom are monks. The Northern Province, the Tamil heartland, itself has 470 Tamil Buddhists.

Karunatilleke announced plans to reopen a Buddhist school in the northern town of Jaffna, which was functioning till 2013 with 80 students.

According to media reports, the bulk of the Tamil Buddhists are in the plantation sector in southern Sri Lanka, where the India-origin Tamils are found in large numbers. Most of the plantation workers of India-origin are drawn from the Harijan or Dalit castes. Many Dalits in India and Sri Lanka convert to Buddhism inspired by their leader, B.R.Ambedkar.

Published in Dawn, February 27th, 2016