Contact: Taun Cortado, Gospel for Asia, 972-300-7777

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, March 17 /Christian Newswire/ -- The volatile situation at Gospel for Asia's Sri Lanka Bible College is escalating as a local elected official and a small group of Buddhist monks are falsely accusing the school of being a front for a Sri Lankan terrorist group, the Tamil Tigers. The Tigers are fighting to divide Sri Lanka along ethnic lines.

On Saturday, March 15, the elected official attacked a school security guard who was on duty about midnight. The official, who was carrying a gun, severely beat the guard and threatened to return to the campus and rape the women. Earlier in the day, this man and the monks staged a protest at the school carrying banners and placards. The Sri Lankan media covered the protest.

After the midnight attack, the elected official filed a police complaint against the security guard, but the police arrested the official instead. The politician told police that he was acting out of patriotic concern for his country.

On March 2 a group of students from the Bible college were attacked while on their way to worship at a nearby GFA-related church. The militants responsible for that attack say their ultimate goal is to close down the Bible college.

Gospel for Asia's leaders in Sri Lanka ask prayer for the safety of the students and staff at the Bible College. They also request prayer that God would intervene in this injustice and stop this kind of violence against His children.

Gospel for Asia is an evangelical mission organization based in Carrollton, Texas, involved in sharing the love of Jesus across South Asia.