Source: Beliefnet.com

http://www.beliefnet.com/story/135/story_13592_1.html

On November 13, 2003 Beliefnet.com posted an Associated Press article that reported, "As Sri Lanka seeks a way out of its 20-year civil war, a handful of the country's 30,000 Buddhist monks have emerged as major players in the political scene and powerful critics of the Norwegian-brokered peace process. And when a power struggle between the president and prime minister degenerated into a major political crisis, activist clerics entered the fray. These are not the quiet, meditative monastics who can be found in the island's many Buddhist temples, or wandering its streets silently waiting for passers-by to care for their few material needs. These are monks who issue press releases and lobby reporters, who are drawn to television cameras and can quickly mobilize anything from chanting protesters to street-corner leaflet distributions...[Athuraliye] Rathana, an official with a powerful Buddhist group, dismisses Sri Lanka's peace process and urges renewed military action against Tamil Tiger separatists. 'We should fight against unjust activities. Yes, we should fight,' he said."