Sri Lanka bans public display of meat

The Lankan Govt's decision coincides with the 2550th birth anniversary of the Buddha this year, reports PK Balachandran.

To coincide with the 2550th birth anniversary of the Buddha this year, the Sri Lankan government has decided to ban the public display of animal flesh in urban areas and also on roadsides throughout the island.

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Media Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa said here on Thursday, that it had become a practice in Sri Lanka to display meat in public. Government wanted this to be stopped at least from this year onwards - the year of the 2550th birth anniversary of the founder of Buddhism, Gautama Buddha.

Buddha, who forbade killing, was also against the consumption of meat.

Sri Lankan Buddhists, like Buddhists in other countries, do eat meat. But they tend to be apologetic about it and consider vegetarianism as being a desirable, if not an essential, part of Buddhist religiosity.

Minister Yapa clarified that fish could be displayed publicly.

"We have no problem with fish!" he said.