Senaka Weeraratna

Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) played a crucial and vocal role in 1963 in bringing international attention to the repression of Buddhists in South Vietnam under the Catholic-led regime of Ngo Dinh Diem. Sinhala Buddhist leaders, monks and laity, public organizations, and the government, led by Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike, acted as a primary international voice advocating for the rights of Vietnamese Buddhists during the Buddhist Crisis.

Introduction

HE Mr. To Lam, the President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party, along with a high-level Vietnamese delegation, will pay a state visit to Sri Lanka from May 7-8, 2026.

The visit carries a particularly important diplomatic message, reflecting Vietnam’s respect and high regard for Sri Lanka. This is the highest-level visit by any Vietnamese leader to Sri Lanka since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 1970.

Ho Chi Minh

In earlier times, Ho Chi Minh, the revolutionary leader and founder of modern Vietnam, visited Ceylon three times between 1911, 1928 and 1946 on Journeys related to seeking independence for Vietnam. These visits, particularly the 1928 stop, are honored today as key moments in building the friendship between Vietnam and Sri Lanka, featuring a statue of him in Colombo and a “Vietnam-Ho Chi Minh space” at the Colombo Public Library.

Key Reminders of Visits:

• Statue: A statue honoring Ho Chi Minh was inaugurated in Colombo in 2013.
• Commemorative Stamp: A stamp collection featuring him was issued in 2014.
• Literary Work: His collection “Prison Diary” was translated into the Sinhala language.
• Library Space: A dedicated space in the Colombo Public Library holds publications related to his life

The Buddhist Crisis in South Vietnam – the origins

·         The Buddhist Crisis was ignited by a ban on flying the Buddhist flag on Vesak, (Phat Dan, the birthday of Gautama Buddha) which saw nine unarmed Buddhist protestors killed on the streets in Huế by the army on May 8, 1963.

·         This was not an isolated incident in the persecution of Buddhists in Vietnam since Ngo Dinh Diem (Catholic) took power in 1954. It was a regular feature. However, it was the ‘Straw that broke the Camel’s Back’, using a cliché. It led to major protests and civil disobedience among the country’s Buddhist population.

·         Ven. Thích Quảng Đức (1897–1963)

·         Ven. Quang Duc, along with several other monks, demanded that Diem submit to their five-point -plan for equality. All they were asking for was freedom to fly the Buddhist flag, religious equality between Buddhists and Catholics, compensation for the victims’ families, an end to arbitrary arrests, and punishment for the officials responsible. Although Diem said he would listen to them upon meeting with the Buddhist delegation, he rejected the Buddhist grievances, insisting that none of this discrimination” was happening.

·          The photo taken by Associated Press Photographer Malcolm Browne of Ven. Quang Duc self-immolating stunned the world. It had such a strong impact on the then U.S. President John F. Kennedy, though prima facie an ardent Diem supporter, was shocked. He was quoted as saying: No news picture in history has generated so much emotion around the world as this one”.

·         Ven. Quang Duc’s self-immolation sparked outrage and a sense of solidarity among Buddhists in Sri Lanka. His remains were later re-cremated at 4,000 degrees Celsius, but his heart did not burn and remained intact.

·         Thich Quang Duc was declared and honored as a Bodhisattva in 1964.

·         The last words of Thich Quang Duc before his self – immolation contained in a letter were as follows:

·         Before closing my eyes and moving towards the vision of the Buddha, I respectfully plead to President Ngo Dinh Diem to take a mind of compassion towards the people of the nation and implement religious equality to maintain the strength of the homeland eternally. I call the venerables, reverends, members of the sangha and the lay Buddhists to organize in solidarity to make sacrifices to protect Buddhism.”

Sri Lanka’s Response

Mrs. Sirima Bandaranaike’s initiatives (assisted by Mr. N.Q. Dias – high profile civil Servant who served as the Permanent Secretary of Defense and External Affairs from 1960 to 1965. He was instrumental in shaping both national and foreign policy, particularly during the administration of Prime Minister Sirima Bandaranaike)

In late August 1963, Prime Minister Sirima Bandaranaike sent a two-member Ceylonese (Sinhalese) fact-finding mission to South Vietnam to investigate the Buddhist crisis therein. Mr. P. de S. Kularatne (former Principal of Ananda College) was part of the two-member mission. The other member of the team was Sir Nicholas Attygalle: A distinguished academic, surgeon, and then-Vice Chancellor of the University of Ceylon.

The mission was a bilateral initiative by the Government of Ceylon to assess the situation following the raids on Buddhist pagodas by President Ngo Dinh Diem’s regime. This specific mission arrived in Saigon on August 26, 1963.

It is often confused with a later, larger United Nations Fact-Finding Mission that visited in October 1963, which was led by Mr. R.S.S. Gunawardena and included representatives from several other countries.

Furthermore, in July 1963, Merenna Francis de Silva (M.F. de S.) Jayaratne, the newly appointed Ceylonese (Sinhalese) Ambassador to the United States, met with President John F. Kennedy to discuss the escalating Buddhist crisis in Vietnam after Mrs. Bandaranaike had written to President Kennedy on this escalating crisis.

The meeting was a high-stakes diplomatic encounter occurring during a period of severe strain between the U.S. and Ceylon:

• Regional Religious Solidarity: As a representative of a predominantly Buddhist nation, Jayaratne expressed Ceylon’s deep concern over the repression of Buddhists by the U.S.-backed government of Ngo Dinh Diem.
• Ceylon sought to represent the concerns of Asian Buddhist communities regarding the persecution of their counterparts in South Vietnam.
• The “Hot Potato” Context: A secret White House memo from NSC official R.W. Komer described the relationship as a “hot potato”. Relations were already fragile because the U.S. had suspended aid under the Hickenlooper Amendment after Ceylon nationalized American petroleum assets.
• Ceylon’s Diplomatic Pressure: While Jayaratne was seen as more “West-friendly” than the government of Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike, he was tasked with urging the U.S. to curb Diem’s actions. Shortly after, Ceylon successfully lobbied to have the UN appoint a fact-finding committee to investigate the crisis.

Key Sri Lankan Diplomatic Figures Involved (1961–1963)

Name	Role	Period
M.F. de S. Jayaratne	Ambassador of Ceylon to the U.S.	Feb 1963 – July 1965
William Gopallawa	Former Ambassador of Ceylon to the U.S.	Aug 1961 – Mar 1963
R.S.S. Gunawardena	Permanent Representative to the UN	Raised issue at UN in 1963

Contextual Highlights (July 1963)

• Ceylon’s Position: Advocating for Buddhist rights internationally.
• South Vietnam: The Diem regime was intensifying crackdown on Buddhists
• US Position: Attempting to manage the “hot potato” of aiding a regime accused of religious persecution while fighting Communism.

• Diplomatic Action at the UN: Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike, recognizing the crisis, instructed Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to the United Nations, R.S.S. Gunawardena, to highlight the repression of Buddhists in South Vietnam. Due to these efforts, the UN General Assembly adopted a motion on October 8, 1963, to send a fact-finding mission to South Vietnam, headed by Gunawardena.
• Monastic Solidarity (Venerable Narada Thera): The renowned Sinhalese monk, Ven. Narada Maha Thera of Vajiraramaya Temple, was a key figure who made 17 journeys to Vietnam, providing spiritual strength and solidarity to local Buddhists during their most difficult times.
• Public Protest and Awareness: The Bauddha Jatika Balavegaya (BJB), led by L.H. Mettananda, spearheaded public protests and rallies in Sri Lanka, including a major demonstration at Ananda College, Colombo, to mobilize support for the Vietnamese Buddhists.
• Exposing the Crisis: The BJB published a Manual called ‘Catholic Action’ (written by the Secretary of BJB, Mr. Gunaseela Vithanage) distributed materials exposing the “Catholic Action” against Buddhists in Ceylon and Vietnam. This BJB publication galvanized the Buddhists of Ceylon especially after the abortive Catholic Army Officers’ Coup in January 1962.  It brought global attention to the crisis and pressured the US-backed Diem government, which was eventually overthrown on November 2, 1963.

• The BJB had a star-studded cast. Leading Members of the Sangha and Buddhist laity were members of the BJB who also gave evidence before the Press Commission (1963 – 1964) headed by Justice K. D. de Silva (retired Supreme Court Justice). Their main submission was extensive ‘Catholic Action’ in the Press suppressing and humiliating and sidelining Buddhist opinion. This trend continues to this day.
• That is why on-line News websites such as the Lankaweb have become increasingly popular among Buddhist leaders and opinion makers, and also the Buddhist public.  

Impact and Outcome

Sri Lanka’s vocal international stance and the presence of the UN fact-finding mission in Saigon added significant pressure to the Diem government. On November 2, 1963, while the mission was still in Vietnam, the Diem regime was overthrown in a military coup, effectively ending the period of intense state-sponsored religious repression.

Sri Lanka’s intervention is regarded as a significant moment of international Buddhist solidarity, directly aiding the restoration of Buddhism’s place in South Vietnam. It was a landmark in modern Buddhist diplomacy that has contributed to strengthening wide ranging links between two leading predominantly Buddhist countries, Vietnam and Sri Lanka.

Senaka Weeraratna