Lanka imposes liquor, meat ban for Buddhist festival

Colombo: Sri Lanka on on Thursday banned the sale of meat and liquor and ordered casinos to close on the Buddha’s birthday in a move to appease the island’s religious majority. The restrictions, which come just days after the government shifted May Day celebrations in a sop to Buddhist monks, will extend to tourist hotels for the two-day Vesak festival starting Sunday. Casinos will be closed and gambling elsewhere also prohibited, the government said. Bars are usually closed on Buddhist holidays but the decision to ban meat sales at supermarkets is a first and was broadly seen as a gesture to the island’s powerful clergy. AFP