A TEMPLE in Kingsbury has been repeatedly vandalised in suspected religious hatred-fueled attacks as tensions rise between Sri Lankan communities.

Members of the Sri Saddhatissa International Buddhist Temple have resorted to patrolling a section of Kingsbury Road each night after bricks thrown through the temple windows and one member was attacked with a copper pipe.

The two attacks, on Wednesday and Sunday last week, have been linked by Brent Police, who have stepped up their patrols in the area to guard against more “faith hate” attacks.

The Venerable Galayaye Piyadassi, head priest at the temple in Kingsbury Road, said: “The attacks are happening because we have Sri Lankan flags outside.

“We fear it may happen again in the future. Everybody is helping to protect the temple from future attacks.”

The temple, a place of worship for more than 700 Sinhalese families from across Brent, Harrow, and Barnet, has blamed the recent acts of vandalism on Tamil Tiger sympathisers taking revenge over the civil war in Sri Lankan.

The Sri Lankan government declared victory over the rebel Tamil Tigers this weekend, at the end of a 26-year war which has claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of innocent Sri Lankans.

Police in Brent and Harrow are keeping a close eye on the situation, and have instructed all officers to be on the lookout for signs of tension between the Sinhalese and Tamil communities.

PC Mahesh Nandha, Harrow Police's Faith Officer, whose job it is to liaise with religious communities in the borough, said: “We are quite concerned about what's happening in Sri Lanka.

“There is nothing to suggest anything is going to happen in Harrow at the moment, but we are doing reassurance patrols, and making sure our staff know what's happening so they can keep an eye on things to look out for anything that suggests tension.”

The temple in Kingsbury has been targeted ten times during the last two years, all believed to be related to the Sri Lankan civil war.

It has been firebombed, windows have been smashed, its vehicles have been vandalised, and the Sri Lankan flag which flies outside was set on fire last year.

After similar attack on Sinhalese temples across the world and fearing further reprisals, the Kingsbury temple had a panic button linked straight to Brent Police installed and put their members on high alert.

Tensions boiled over last week at a demonstration in Westminster attended by Tamils from Brent and Harrow, where thousands have staged a sit-in to call for international intervention in Sri Lanka.

Some protesters clashed with police, and Councillor Thaya Idaikkadar, (Lab/Roxeth), a leader in the Tamil community, called for residents to protest peacefully.

He said: “We don't support any criminal damage, it is a small minority people doing all the damage, and Tamils don't approve of it.

“We as a community have worked very hard to have a good relationship with all people in Harrow, and I can't allow a small minority of to to risk that with their actions.”

  • A 22-year-old man was arrested on Sunday, May 17 in connection with the attacks on the Kingsbury temple, and has been bailed pending further investigations.
  • Anyone with information can contact Detective Sergeant Martin Flack, of Brent Police Community Safety Unit, who is leading the investigation, on 0208 733 3754.