The Principal of the Sri Vijaya Buddhist Dhamma School in Riyadh has rejected reports claiming that Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Ameer Ajwad, ordered the closure of the school or obstructed Buddhist religious activities, describing the allegations as false and misleading.
In a statement, Athula Kumarasinghe, the school’s founding member and Principal, said the Dhamma school, which has operated within the premises of the Sri Lankan Embassy in Riyadh since 2007, had not been shut down.
He explained that classes were temporarily suspended for several months after the embassy relocated to new premises with limited space, stressing that the interruption was solely due to logistical constraints and not a decision to close the school.
According to Kumarasinghe, Ambassador Ameer Ajwad had approved the allocation of space within the embassy’s new building several months ago to facilitate the resumption of Dhamma school activities in September 2026, when the 2026/2027 academic year of the Riyadh Sri Lankan International School begins.
He also rejected claims that the Ambassador had prevented the holding of Vesak celebrations or Buddhist religious programmes.
Kumarasinghe said rehearsals for the 2026 Vesak devotional singing programme were held at the embassy premises for about a month with the Ambassador’s full approval and support, involving hundreds of children and their parents.
He added that the main Vesak celebration was held at a larger venue only because the embassy premises could not accommodate the thousands of expected participants. He said the alternative venue was secured following the Ambassador’s direct intervention and the necessary approvals from the Saudi authorities.
Kumarasinghe urged media organisations to publish a correction, maintaining that reports claiming the Ambassador had closed the Dhamma school or hindered Buddhist religious activities were inaccurate and misleading. (Newswire)
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