Arson suspected in Toronto Buddhist temple fire
Gas can found at scene
Last Updated: Friday, November 27, 2009 | 3:15 PM ET
CBC News
A Thursday night fire at a Buddhist temple in east end Toronto frequented by people of Sri Lankan origin was deliberately set, police say.
Someone used what appears to be gasoline to start the blaze at the rear of the Maha Vihara Buddhist Meditation Centre on Kingston Road, Toronto police said.
Investigators found a gas can at the scene. They used dogs to try to track the suspects, but the trail went cold.
Udupihilai Vimalabuddhi, a monk at the temple, told CBC News that another monk saw Toronto firefighters and police officers surround the building and put out a fire outside a room that housed a shrine at around 1:30 a.m. Friday.
Police told the monks a TTC bus driver had alerted them to smoke coming from the temple.
Constables have stepped up patrols around the temple, though police aren't sure what the motive would be for the suspected arson, Const. Tony Vella said.
Foul play by militant supporters alleged
But Vimalabuddhi suggested local supporters of the Tamil Tigers, the Sri Lankan militant secessionist group, were to blame for the blaze.
"Our Lord Buddha is teaching always tolerance. We don't want to fight with them," he said.
"We don't hate them, but they must understand what they are doing. They are harming this religious place. Why [are] they harming this religious place?"
Damage is estimated in the tens of thousands of dollars. The temple, which is frequented by people of Sinhalese descent, has previously been struck by arson. In May, an arsonist lit a fire at the temple's front door. Police have not yet determined who was responsible for that blaze.
Worshippers at the time also blamed ethnic tensions in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka's consul general Bandula Jayasekara echoed that sentiment in May, placing the blame for the fire on local Tamil Tigers supporters.
