COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Attacks on Christians in Sri Lanka have surged noticeably in recent weeks, following the government’s defeat of Tamil separatists in May. Attacks were reported in Puttlam, Gampaha and Kurunegala districts in western Sri Lanka; central Polonnaruwa district; Mannar district in the north; and Matara district in the south, according to the National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka (NCEASL). Most recently, attackers set fire to an Assemblies of God church July 28 in Norachcholai, Puttlam district, destroying the building.
In Markandura village, Kurunegala district, seven men wielding swords attacked caretaker Akila Dias and three other members of the Vineyard Community Church on July 12, causing serious injury to church members and church property. Dias and others received emergency care at a local hospital before being transferred to a larger hospital in the area for treatment. On June 28, a mob consisting of more than 100 people, including Buddhist monks, surrounded the home of a female pastor of a Foursquare Gospel church in Radawana village, Gampaha district, according to the NCEASL. At the time, the pastor, whose name was withheld for security reasons, and her husband were away. Their 13-year-old daughter watched helplessly as the mob broke in, shouted insults and destroyed chairs and other furniture.
Later, in the presence of Buddhist monks and other protestors, the pastor was forced to sign a document promising not to host worship services for nonfamily members.
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