Highlighting the challenges faced by Buddhist minorities and other religious groups in Bangladesh, the Sri Lanka–Bangladesh Buddhist Solidarity Front has called for global Buddhist unity to protect their rights, particularly those of indigenous Buddhists in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. The Front’s Secretary, Venerable Kavissara Thero, emphasized the significant threat to the future of Buddhist indigenous communities in the Chittagong Hill Tracts due to ongoing violence and repression.
Venerable Kavissara Thero pointed out that attacks on Buddhists in Bangladesh have a history, citing the 2012 incidents where extremists destroyed numerous Buddhist temples and homes. He attributed the recent surge in violence against the Buddhist community to political instability following the change in government in Bangladesh. Reports have documented 2,442 instances of violence against religious minorities in Bangladesh between 2024 and 2025, with 25 Buddhist temples being targeted in the initial months of 2025.
The situation in the Chittagong Hill Tracts remains dire, with four Buddhist tribal members killed and ongoing looting and arson attacks on Buddhist homes. The Front highlighted that Hindus and Christians in Bangladesh also face similar threats, emphasizing the necessity for a united effort to safeguard the rights of all religious minorities. Urging global Buddhist solidarity, the Sri Lanka–Bangladesh Buddhist Solidarity Front called upon the Buddhist community worldwide to protect Bangladesh’s Buddhist heritage and the lives of its Buddhist population.
Notably, Bangladesh has witnessed a rise in attacks on the Hindu community following political changes in the country. The Human Rights Congress for Bangladesh Minorities (HRCBM) recently reported over a hundred deaths among minorities within a seven-month period, attributing the violence to a systemic pattern of targeting minorities nationwide. The rights body emphasized that the documented deaths, including cases of lynching and murder, reflect a disturbing trend of widespread atrocities against minorities in Bangladesh.
