Buddhist Temple Focus of Neighborhood Complaints

October 23, 2005

Source: The Buddhist Channel/Cyprus Mail

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=3,1848,0,0,1,0

On October 23, 2005 the Cyprus Mail reported, "Peaceful Buddhist worshippers in Strovolos have had their faith tested by an unfriendly neighbour who set the authorities on them, and had police visit them on the pretext of having a mass of 'unsightly shoes' outside the temple door. The temple, formerly a Buddhist information centre, and only set up in July this year as a place of worship, was to become a haven for mainly Sri Lankan Buddhists who had no place to pray in Cyprus until now. However, within two months they received a letter from a junior Strovolos municipality official telling them they had not secured a permit to change the centre into a place of worship. 'You are hereby urged to return the aforementioned building to its original use. Otherwise all the force of the law will be put into effect without further notice.' What the letter failed to say was that the Buddhist leaders could apply to the Town Planning Department to change the use of the building and could receive an extension from the Municipality until the application had been approved or not."