Sinhala Ravaya leader Akmeemana Dayaratne Thera and seven others arrested for inciting violence and behaving in a threatening manner to Rohingya refugees seeking shelter in Sri Lanka were this afternoon re-remanded by the Mount Lavinia Magistrate till October 16.

Akmeemana Dayaratne Thera was arrested on October 2 by the Colombo Crimes Division (CCD) for inciting violence against a group of Rohingya refugees – mostly women and children – who were being sheltered at a safe house in Mount Lavinia by the United Nations. 

The incident – which occurred on September 26 – made local and international headlines, prompting the United Nations to say it was ‘alarmed’ by the attack on the refugees and causing local authorities to denounce the attack.