SRI LANKA — The leaders of the National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka issued a statement in February reaffirming its dedication to religious freedom, and denying accusations that it coerces Sri Lankans to convert to Christianity. Signers of the statement said, “It must be stated categorically that our member churches do not engage in any form of alleged unethical practices of conversion. We strongly condemn unlawful acts of arson, assault, threats, intimidation and desecration of places of worship of all religious denominations. We also deplore attempts by certain groups to incite hate and distrust of the Christian community using the media and poster campaigns.” The National Christian Evangelical Alliance has been in Sri Lanka for 52 years.