By Saman Indrajith

There were 22,254 Tamil Buddhists and 11 Tamil Bhikkus in the country, Parliament was told yesterday.

A document tabled in response to a question raised by UNP Matara District MP Buddhika Pathirana by Chief Government Whip and Parliamentary Reforms and Mass Media Minister Gayantha Karunathilaka said that a census regarding Tamil Buddhists had not been conducted by the Ministry of Buddhasasana or the Department of Buddhist Affairs.

Yet according to the results of the census carried out by the Department of Census and Statistics in 2012, the country had 22,254 Tamil Buddhists and 11 Tamil monks.

According to the 2012 census there were 470 Tamil Buddhists residing in the North, the document tabled by the minister on behalf of the Minister of Buddha Sasana revealed.

A Tamil Dhamma school named Sri Nandarama had been started in Jaffna and it had been registered with the Department of Buddhist Affairs on 07- 01-2013. About 80 Tamil children studied in that school but it was now defunct. Action would be taken to find a suitable land to recommence Dhamma education there, the document said.

Courtesy:The Island