BY CHAMIKARA Weerasinghe

DELEGATES of leading Buddhist organisations from around the world will meet in Sri Lanka this month to initiate action to form the first international Buddhist relief organisation on the lines of the Red Cross and Red Crescent.

The delegates will participate at the global Buddhist Conference on 'Buddhist Humanitarian Services in a Post-tsunami Context,' organised by the Asian Buddhist Congress and the Buddhist Resources Centre, Sri Lanka, at the BMICH on March 19 and 20, where they will discuss how they should structure such an organisation on the basis of Buddhist principles with focus on reaching a common agreement.

Asian Buddhist Congress President, Olcott Gunesekera told a media briefing on Thursday that the idea of establishing a Buddhist Humanitarian Service Organisation came to them as a result of the recent tsunami disaster.

"Buddhist monks have been in the forefront of help the affected victims. We saw how temples became centres of refuge for everyone and how Buddhist monks treated everyone alike without any regard for race or creed in accordance with the Buddha's words "out of compassion for the many, for the good and welfare of them," he said.

"If doubts existed in the world about Buddhist monks that they are racists or extremists, the Bhikkus' conduct in the tsunami tragedy has dispelled them," Gunasekera said.

Dr. Hema Goonatilake, Coordinator Buddhist Resource Centre, Sri Lanka, and former Senior Advisor to the Royal Government of Cambodia proposed this idea to the Asian Buddhist Congress.