Navi Pillai should come to Sri Lanka with an open mind unencumbered with prejudices.

If Navi Pillai is on a fact finding mission to Sri Lanka, she should set aside her prejudices and come with an open mind.  Then and then only will she see for herself  how Sri Lanka exists  as a country with three Communities making up her population. 

But if she is coming to see to what extent she could justify her prejudices against the Government of Sri Lanka and the Sinhala people of  the majority Community, then it is better she stays back and learns about Sri Lanka from its enemies-the Tamil Diaspora, American  Sate Department, the NGOs, Amnesty International, and other anti Sri Lankan human rights  activists.  Because with her mind full of such prejudices the facts of reality of Sri Lanka will not sink into her mind.

The Government of Sri Lanka has invited her to see for herself to what extent the Government of Sri Lanka has provided facilities to improve the condition of living of the  Tamil people in the North and East after the elimination of terrorism.  She will be able to see that  the facilities provided to North and East  are far more than those that have been provided to the South. 

She will also be able to  evaluate for herself  whether in the infrastructure development, and the provision of  facilities of health, education, water and other  public services, there is discrimination against the Tamils of the North and East in relation to the people in the South.

But all this will be possible if Navi Pillai is wise and intelligent  to see through those many anti-government forces who will infiltrate into her presence to murmur into her ears calumnious misinformation that will distort her vision of reality.

For instance the Tamil National Alliance in the  mere fact of they being  members of a political party of high Caste Tamils are depending on the low caste Tamil majority in Jaffna who with their mental acceptance of the Tamils of high caste as their superiors by divine right of Hindu Caste System,  may vote for them to represent them in the Provincial Council.

In that mental assurance, though up to now the TNA MPs have not contributed in anyway or planned any future projects for the development of  the North,  they have been travelling to different countries of the world where there are pro-terrorist Tamil diaspora organisations, seeking their help to form in Sri Lanka a Tamil Eelam State.

The TNA other than its ambition to set up a separate Eelam State has  no practical plan to contribute to the development of Sri Lanka as a United Nation of Sri Lankans, leaving aside the ethnic differences of the Communities in Sri Lanka. 

The TNA speaks of LLRC only to show that  the Government of Sri Lanka is not for reconciliation, not withstanding that all  proposals the TNA is coming forward with are separatist to keep the Tamil Community  away from the Sinhala Community, which is  opposed to reconciliation TNA complains the Government is not complying with.

If Navi Pillai would listen to the TNA delegation which is scheduled to meet her, intelligently with an open mind, without being swayed  one way or the other as it is expected of her, she will perceive  their  separatist Agenda for the Tamils of the North of Sri Lanka. 

The TNA ‘s primary  demand is the demilitarisation of the North, and the release of the members of the Tamil Terrorist group now under detention.

What is the motive behind this demand ?

The North without the presence of the military, and the release of the former members of the Tamil Terrorist  group would create an ideal situation to  organisation a militant Tamil group who will awaken the terrorist “sleepers”, who are awaiting the proper time to awaken to recommence terrorism if necessary to separate the North for a Tamil Eelam State. 

They will demand  the Military to be confined to the barracks during the NPC polls, and reduce the number of forces present in the North.  

What is behind this demand ? 

With the Armed Forces Confined to Barracks and the  numbers reduced, the TNA could create a situation where the Tamil  people of the North could be made to vote for the candidates of TNA under duress. 

The people could be moved in groups under the control of militant Tamils perhaps recruited from amoung those sympathetic to terrorism, to create a fear psychosis amoung the Tamil people which will deny them  voting  for the Candidates of their choice, but to the Candidates suggested by the Militants of the TNA. 

The people in such an eventuality may not have any one to turn, with the military confined to the barracks, not able to rush to different place where trouble are being reported due to  the lack of enough soldiers as the number of Armed Forces are reduced.

It was in the North that terrorism became possible, because there were Tamils with the mentality of those in the TNA.  There is only a military solution to terrorism.

If there is ever a possibility for  terrorism to arise, it will  again  be in the North, as the Tamil political leaders such as those in the TNA would only encourage such an evolution rather than  curb it. It is therefore for that reason a strong  all time Military presence is essential in the North and East than any where else in Sri Lanka.

The other issues the TNA delegation will demand Navi Pillai to take up would be the plight of the Tamil political prisoners, war crimes, and disappearances.  These are matters that are controversial and without proof, which  every one against the Sri Lanka Armed Forces for the elimination of terrorism continues to question in different forums.

But Navaneetham Pillai should not waste her time in Sri Lanka  going through  what she had already familiarised herself in the Geneva Human Rights Council Sessions. 

Navi Pillay if she is smart would see in this demonstration of the TNA Delegation to portray  the Government of Sri Lanka as discriminating against the Tamils in the North, is that TNA is meeting her not to discuss its  proposals for the development of the North for the benefit of the Tamil people and how they propose to effect the reconciliation of the Communities.  But the TNA Delegation is meeting her  to indirectly demand her support as a “Tamil” for her  to propose the presence of a Foreign Mission  to facilitate their plan to separate North from the rest of the country, and turn it into a separate Tamil Eelam State.

It is important that Navi Pillai should not restrict her visit to Jaffna.  She should visit the Southern parts of Sri Lanka and meet the Tamil people living there, and see the Tamil business establishments.  She should also meet the Tamil public servants and the Tamil employees  in the private Sector working in the South. She should see how families of different communities live side by side in Colombo and other Towns.  She should visit a few Sinhala families as well those among the rich and the poor.

This is important as Navi Pillai is aware how the black people including Indians in South Africa  were separated from the whites and put into  ghettos.  In  America  and in European countries people are still housed in  separate areas mostly away from the whites. 

In Sri Lanka  there are no such ghettos where the Tamils are housed separated from the Sinhala and Sinhala have special residential areas.  In Sri Lanka all communities live together in the towns except that in the country side there are  Muslim villages, Tamil villages and Sinhala villages close to each other without any sense of segregation.

These are the matters that should concern Navi Pillai to  understand  how things are different in the south , where members of different Communities exist as friendly neighbours  along side each other.
Because  as she is intelligent she may question why the same mixture of Communities should not be there in the North.  Such mixture of Communities will  enhance the understanding , friendly inter-communication, and reconciliation to form a union of communities instead of the  absurdity of separation.

That is the only way to reconcile the Communities and seal the formation of a nation of people with the common purpose of developing Sri Lanka the motherland of every one of them without differentiating one community from the other for reasons of ethnicity, religion or language.
Navi Pillai should be made to understand that necessity and for that greater purpose to leave aside those allegations the TNA is highlighting, such as the plight of the Tamil political prisoners, war crimes, and disappearances, in order  to keep the Communities separated and help the formation of a separate Eelam State for the Tamils.

What is of greater necessity for the welfare of the Tamil people ? Is it Separation  from the  other Communities or uniting with the other Communities to form one with them all ?
If Navi Pilla who is herself a Tamil is for the welfare of the Tamil people  of Sri Lanka she should not give in to TNA, but agree to the  second option of the Tamil Community uniting with the other communities of Sri Lanka to form one Nation of Sri Lankans.

Stop vain slaughter of Animals to make sacrifices at Munneshwaram, and to celebrate Bakr-Eid.

utter brutality of killing is unpardonable

Not because  Sri Lanka is a Buddhist Country that  slaughter of animals as religious sacrifice should stop, but any where in the world killing of animals for religious purposes to satisfy a God or a deity is savage, and meaningless, and no God will be honoured to have animals being killed as a Sacrifice for him. 

The God of the Bible wanted blood sacrifices and peace sacrifices and  the people of Israel made these sacrifices at the Tabernacle and the Arc of God. Bible is full of such sacrifices carried out to satisfy the God . After 516BC the Jews made sacrifices only at the temple in Jerusalem. 

Jews eventually evolved their religious practices, and built Synagogues the Centres of  Jewish teaching and later of worship.  After the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in AD  70,  the Jewish ritual of sacrifices came to an end.  Their belief system evolved around the Synagogue and savage uncivilized animal sacrifice became history.

Of the three Abrahamic religions  Judaism, Christianity and Islam.  Jews and Christians have become  civilized people and stopped making animal sacrifices to their God. It is still the followers of Islam that are savage and uncivilized  and continue to make animal sacrifices in celebrating their religious festivals such as Bakr Eid. 

In India .. the All India Muslim Personal Law Board vice-president and Shia cleric Maulana Syed Kalbe Sadiq, in a statement said "It is my appeal to Muslims to completely restrain from sacrificing the cow on the Eid-ul-Azha. India is our country and we should respect the feeling of Hindu brethren who are in the majority." 

Will the Muslims in Sri Lanka listen to this wise man’s appeal ?

Now in India apart from the Muslims, the Hindus as well make animal Sacrifices. In India it has taken a most savage turn.  Thousands of animals are being killed for religious rituals.  The absurdity  of these sacrifices apart from their savage inhuman aspect is said to be the  sacrifice of various animals of different sizes not so much as a religious ritual but as a show of  riches and social standing.

“As affluence in India rises, more and more larger animals such as bovines, camels and increasingly horses are slaughtered to show the ‘status‘ of the person making the sacrifice. Slaughter was symbolic and never meant to be a status parade that it has become.”

These slaughter of animal attracts large number of  devotees who bring  their animals for slaughter, and it looses any sanctity when the slaughter becomes an amusement, “.. it is increasingly common to see the ‘spectacle’ of animals slaughtered publicly for the amusement of those witnessing the slaughter.”

Despite the laws prohibiting slaughter of animals in India, there are vast number of illegal ritual slaughters. 

In Sri Lanka too there is such a savage slaughter of animals in Munneshwaran Kovil in Chilaw.  On the 25 August, 2010,  300 goats and 600 chicken had been slaughtered , this despite the Cruelty to Animals Ordinance.  

There is a news item today that the Munneshwaran Kovil is now preparing for their annual ritual of animal slaughter.  It is therefore high time that the Government leaves aside its lackadaisical attitude and issue strong instructions to stop the slaughter of animals as sacrifices, warning those who incite killing and those who bring animals for sacrifice liable to be charged under the relevant laws.  The Government should not hesitate stop this most inhumane, uncivilised, and barbaric move on the grounds of hurting the sentiments of India, TamilsNadu or Tamils. 

The Tamil terrorists slaughtered innocent men, women, and children for 30 long years until a determined President turned up to stop the savagery.  But why cannot this President, who defied the terrorists not stop the slaughter of innocent animals.

There are those who bring in democracy to allow the slaughter of innocent animals on the ground that the people should have the freedom to worship according to their traditions.  But that should not be at the cost of the lives of innocent animals that cannot call out for help.

are these human beings who aretorturing these innocent Animals before chopping off their heads ?

Sri Lanka has a Buddha Sasana Ministry, which has become absolutely useless, unable even to decide matters on which they should pass laws. There was a bill once presented to stop  illegal conversion and to this day no one knows what has become of it.  In the mean time they are preparing to pass laws to prohibit publications defamatory of the major religions.  But more important issues are not touched because it fears antagonising the other religious faiths.

If that is how the Buddha Sasana Ministry functions it is better that the government scraps the Ministry altogether, saving a considerable sum of money as the Ministry actually serves no useful purpose.  If the Ministry is active it should not hesitate to  implement the Cruelty to Animal Ordinance, and stop the Munneshvaran Kovil from making its  intended slaughter of animals.  The Ministry should draw up legal documents  making it illegal to make animal sacrifices for religious or any other purpose.

There were human sacrifices in the  Aztec and Mesoamerican civilisations.  But after the conquest of these countries by Spanish Conquistadors  these human sacrifices were stopped.

In the present fear of the Government of Sri Lanka to  displease other countries and other religions  it is frightening to imagine  what the government of Sri Lanka would have done if  there is a  Community in Sri Lanka which makes humans sacrifices in the performance of their religious ceremonies.   The Government may perhaps not intervene not to displease the religious sentiments of that Community !!!

The false religious ceremonies of Munneshvaran Temple should be stopped in the name of humanity whether it hurts religious sentiments of those “savage” devotees or the rich trustees of the Kovil.

In India there was Sati an ancient custom where the widow is burnt alive on the funeral pyre of the husband.  In 1987 India passed a law banning the practice of Sati.  But yet hey say there are reports of incidents of attempted Sati.  If it exists in Sri Lanka  what will the Government do ?  Will it shy away from banning such savagery or just close its eyes not wanting to hurt the religious sentiments of the devotees ?

These may sound absurd propositions, but is it not similar to what the government is doing in shying away from passing laws to stop slaughter of innocent animals as religious sacrifices ?

It is time that the Government takes a firm decision to stop the animal sacrifices by Muslims to celebrate Bakr Eid,  and stop animal slaughter by Munneshwaran Kovil   now and for ever.

 If  human sacrifice by Aztecs  had been stopped, the Jews have stopped blood sacrifices, and Christians do not make any sacrifice of animals either ,  surely the Muslims could stop animal slaughter for their festivals,  and Munneshvaram Kovil can stop animal slaughter for Kali.

Changing Face of Islam in Sri Lanka- A reply to Editor of Ceylon Today.

The Ceylon Today of the 17 August,2013 carried the Editorial, “ Changing face of Buddhism”.  The Editor is an uninformed moron. The Buddhism has not changed its face for  more than 2600 years.  It will remain the same for another 2600 years or more.  But what the editor tries to  hide is the fact that it is  Islam in Sri Lanka that has changed its face from what it had been before.


The Editor of Ceylon Today says, “Not so long ago, when the religion was described as a cause for conflict, Buddhists begged to be different. Buddhist devotees pointed out that Buddhism was not a religion, but a philosophy.”

Buddhism is neither a religion nor a philosophy. Oxford Dictionary defines Religion as “one of the systems of faith that are based on the belief in the existence of a particular god or gods.”  The Buddhism in that sense is not a religion.

The same Dictionary defines Philosophy as “the study of the nature and meaning of the universe and of human life ”, and again as “a particular set or system of beliefs resulting from the search for knowledge about life and the universe.”.  That too does not define Buddhism.

Any one who wishes to criticise Buddhism takes the liberty to define Buddhism as it suits him without knowing  what exactly is Buddhism.  This is what the Editor of the Ceylon Today has done in writing his Editorial of the 17 August, 2013 on Changing Face of Buddhism.

The Editor says, “At the heart of the Buddhist teaching are benevolence and tolerance. No time in the history Buddhists resorted to violence to  propagate the message of the Lord Buddha.”  
 
Mr. Editor the Buddhist teachings by itself is benevolent and tolerant, but the heart of the teachings is more profound and sublime. Buddhism now needs no propagation as persons of intelligence  accept it willingly as a teaching without parallel.

The Editor continues that, “  It is in this historical context that the spiral of violence that we have witnessed recently is disturbing, and in fact, insulting towards the very message of Buddhism. ” 
There is here  a distortion of facts when the Editor alludes to  Buddhist teachings as violence which he had, “ witnessed recently as an insult to the  message of the Buddha.”

The Editor states that, the   “….recent violence, such as the recent attack on a Muslim prayer centre in Grandpass and the cacophony of voices of religious ultra nationalism have now  called into question the authenticity of the very message of Buddhism.” 

In making that statement  the Editor has come to a  wrong conclusion. There are two aspects of  the situation the Editor is trying to deal with in his Editorial. One is the violence itself,  and the other the  “insult to the  authenticity of the very message of Buddhism” .

Unfortunately the Editor of Ceylon Today has mixed up the two issues thereby  casting aspersions  on the great teachings of the Buddha.  What happened in Grandpass has no connection to the teachings of the Buddha.  Therefore, it had better be left out.  If it is  violence by persons it has to be spoken of as such without contriving to bring in the teachings of the Buddha to distort  the issue.

The Buddha Dhamma the teachings of the Buddha is also the Buddha Sasana, which is  more than 2600 years old.  All  other religions except Hinduism are of recent evolution.  The Buddhism had not been an organised religion like the Church, but the teachings of the Buddha had been  carried without interruption through word of mouth from teacher to disciples in the most democratic system of an Order of Sangha (the Community of Monks) with its own rules of discipline. 

This ancient order of Sangha or  Community of Monks  is which continues even today.  These monks had not only to carry the teachings of the Buddha from word to mouth until it came to be written down in the 1^st century, but also to protect the Buddha Sasana from its enemies.

It is this Order of Sangha (the Community of Monks) which protected the teachings and brought it to this day intact  “without changing its face” since its inception more than  2600 years ago.  These monks still continue to play the role of the  protectors of  the teachings and thus the Buddha Sasana, with its temples, monasteries, lands offered to the sustenance of the temples and the monks, while at the same time instructing  the followers and propagating the teachings-the Dhamma, and will do so for years to come. 

The Buddhist monks cannot depend on the government for the protection of the Buddha Sasana, because it is primarily their duty.  The government has a duty not only for the  Buddhists, but also for the  non-Buddhists. Therefore if what belongs to Buddha Sasana is in peril it is the Buddhist monk who has the right to bring it to the notice of the Government and demand protection.
If such protection is not forth coming from the government, the Monks have to find out other means to solve the problem and protect the Buddha Sasana of which they had been the protectors for more than 2600 years.

The Editor of the Ceylon Today has to understand the reasons behind certain “violence” taking place and analyse the reasons for them with wisdom after studying the whole question putting it into its correct perspective, without jumping to conclusions.

Now from what follows we see that, the problem the Editor of Ceylon Today has is not with the teachings of the Buddha but the Bodu Bala Sena. 

He writes, “Today, the mention of the three words,  Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) which is a “Buddhist Organization”, drives fear even into the minds of some Buddhists leave alone the followers of other religions like Christianity, Islam and Hinduism .”  

Neither the Buddhists nor the  followers of other religions should have fear on the mention of the words  “Bodu Bala Sena”.  They are not an extremist group or terrorists. They are merely trying to high light matters concerning the Buddha Sasana that had been neglect by the government and taken for granted by non Buddhists, due to inaction by any one responsible. Buddha Sasana also comprises the Buddhist Culture of the followers of the teachings of the Buddha.

The Sangha as pointed out earlier, has a duty to protect the Buddha Sasana.  Due to lethargy of the Government, inaction of the Buddhists, and taking things for granted by those followers of other religions, matters concerning Buddha Sasana had been long neglected. Due to the absence of any one moving in to protect what belongs to the Buddha Sasana, some monks have organised  themselves to point out to the authorities where wrongs which have a direct effect on the Buddha Sasana have or is being committed by others with the motive to weaken the Buddha Sasana.

Muslims for instance since of late  have developed a great desire to build mosques all over  Sri Lanka, (perhaps to out do the Buddhist Stupas by number), for that they use mean subterfuge such as building boutiques , warehouses, and shops in areas often close to Buddhist Temples or sometimes even on Temple land leaving them empty and use them as Muslim prayer houses, with the secret motive of later declare them mosques and build a large mosque in place of the derelict buildings originally constructed as, shops, boutiques or warehouses.

The Editor of Ceylon Today before writing Editorials on the Changing face of Buddhism should have investigated the changing attitude of Muslims in Sri Lanka and highlighted that as a responsible Journal.

The Editor points out that, the “Rhetoric that emanate from Bodu Bala Sena and Sinhala Ravaya therefore give a bad name for Buddhism. In fact, many hard line groups that are spewing violence and religious disunity are not about the religion at all. Those groups are  about power,  politics and money. ” 

The arms of the Bodu Bala Sena and Ravaya are not guns but words, arguments, and counter arguments. It is listening without being prejudiced that will help in such situations to find a solution to the problems over which rhetoric emanate. In defending the Buddha Sasana of Buddhist Sri Lanka, power, politics and money naturally get involved.

The Buddha Sasana had no rival religions at the beginning, but with the colonialism the Budhha Sasana received a hard blow.  It is only since 1956 that Buddhism and Buddhist Culture are being rediscovered.  The Buddhists , Muslims and Christians lived  peace  without interfering into each other’s religious devotions. 

But now the world itself is changing and there are competing foreign  power blocks, some using wealth and others religion.  The non-Buddhist religions in Sri Lanka have come under foreign influence,  and are being secretly financed  and infused with new religious fanatism which make them  take different political, and social moves that had not been evident  before.

The ordinary lay Buddhists are concerned with their day to day living.   The Government overlooks certain developments in order not to be partial to one community against others. Therefore, if there is danger to the Buddha Sasana the Order of Monks cannot wait  until the lay Buddhists or the Government come forward to safeguard the interest of the Buddha Sasana, therefore they Organise themselves, to draw attention of both the lay Buddhist followers and the Government to the dangers they foresee to the Buddha Sasana.

Perhaps the Editor is not aware that there was a period when there was what was called  Catholic Action that had interfered in the administration of the Governments causing considerable difficulties for the Buddhists not only in Sri Lanka, but also in many Asian Buddhist Countries. 
During the period there were very active lay followers of Buddhism who organised themselves to fight against the Catholic Action.  They, led by L.H.Mettananda formed into an organisation called Bauddha Balavegaya which put an end to nefarious activities  of the Catholic Action.
 
These foreign manoeuvres against Sri Lanka and the Buddha Sasana had taken place from time to time.  Thanks to the vigilance  of the Buddhists and Buddhist monks great dangers to the Buddha Sasana had been averted.   
 
Why does not the Editor of Ceylon Today ask himself,  why Muslims are under attack not only in Grandpass but in countries the world over, for instance  in USA, UK, Germany, France, Netherland, Denmark, Sweden and so on ?

Even in Sri Lanka the sudden upsurge of anti national activities of some sections of the Muslim 

Community is a new phenomenon.  Many fingers are being pointed at Saudi Arabia for promoting Wahibism and promoting the rise of  extremism  amoung the Muslims in the world. Halaal, Shariah Law, and Quazy Law courts   have now taken an importance of  immense dimension whereas they were not even heard of before.

How is it then that the Editor of Ceylon Today gives such importance to what happened in Grandpass which had been settled to the satisfaction of all parties concerned, without having at no time informed of the sinister developments taking place amoung the Muslims in Sri Lanka ?

In such a situation we should be thankful to the Buddhists monks for their vigilance making a hue and cry when necessary to draw attention of the people to disperse the danger.  Such foreign influence does not auger well for Muslims in Sri Lanka as well , as their being unnecessarily forced to create dissension amoung the communities  with whom they have lived for generations. Such foreign fanatism seeping into Sri Lanka Muslim Community will thwart the unity  and reconciliation of the Communities and hamper development which is of greater value to every one of us.

The Buddhist Monk is the pulse of the Nation, which could detect the dangers coming from other religions and from outside and give timely warning.  As Egypt, Saudi Arabia or Pakistan are Muslim Countries, Sri Lanka is a Buddhist Country.

The Editor  writes in his Editorial that , “ Buddhism has a long standing reputation as  a “tolerant religion”. The present day keepers of Buddhism should not desecrate that premise.  In the true spirit of Buddhism, their concerns about the wellbeing of the bulls and cows are well received, But, above all, they must respect the human life.”

It appears now with considerable interference in to  the affairs of Sri Lanka by some of the foreign countries after the elimination of  ruthless terrorism, the, “the long standing reputation of Buddhism as a tolerant religion”  has given easy access to those taking advantage of that reputation of  tolerance to spread their own religious extremism.

Buddhism is concerned not only of the wellbeing of the humans, but of all beings.  The present day keepers of Buddhism, as the Editor says are well aware of it and  their effort in that role of  keepers of Buddhism is to look after its welfare of all beings.  It is because of the tolerance of Buddhism and its keepers that the Muslims had been living amoung the Buddhists building their villages and mosques in complete freedom and acceptance.

With regard to the wellbeing of animals, the Muslims living in a Buddhist country which had accommodated them should in respect to the country they have made their  home,  stop  killing animals for food and to celebrate their religious functions.

In Peru virgins and physically unblemished young men were sacrificed at a religious festival.  But it was stopped after its conquest by the Spanish.  Can one imagine what would happen if  similar religious customs are perpetrated today ?

That is to emphasise what ever were  the religious practices of ancient times, they  need not be carried on now  just because they were written in the Koran and the Muslims have made it a custom,  when there are so many other things to offer to Gods, eat, and with which to celebrate festivals. 

According to the Bible the followers of the  God had made blood sacrifices and peace sacrifices smudging the altar with blood, but now the only sacrifice the Christians make is eating a Turkey for the Christmas dinner.  In the Munneshwaran Kovil thousands of innocent animals are killed to please Kali. Is this savage custom necessary in the present time ?

Why cannot the Government put a stop to animal sacrifices at the Munneshwaran Kovil forth with like the Spanish did to Peruvian human sacrifices ?.

These are the themes on which  the Editor of Ceylon Today  could if intelligent write his Editorials.

The Buddhist monks had always advised the rulers and the rulers of Sri Lanka had always sought the counsel and advice of the  Buddhist monks.  Therefore it is an exaggeration on the part of the Editor to say, “ It is also important that they comply with the modern tenets, which evolved over centuries and are now playing a pillar in the modern state system. That is the separation between the Church ( or to that effect Temple) and the State. ”

The Editor of Ceylon Today states, “Those hard-line followers should not tell governments how to run the country.  They should be cognizant of the fact that many great states in today’s world are  secular in character, including our neighbour India. They should be mindful and respectful of the sentiments of the followers of other faiths. ” 

In Sri Lanka as in many countries the  role of the State and the religion is well defined.  But it is often the Islamic fundamentalism that infringes into the secular Character of the State, by imposing their  religious customs such as wearing the Shawl or the Burkha in public.  In France where the children from Catholic families do not even wear the cross around their neck when attending school,  the Muslims demand the  schools to accept the shawl (a religious identity) worn by Muslim girls.
 
The Editor writes, “The government should safeguard Buddhism and its righteous values. It should fend off attempts to distort Buddhism and to give a bad name to the religion and its followers. Also, It should not use religion as a measure to  garner support to cling on to power.” 

The Buddhist Monks have a role to play vis à vis the Buddha Sasana.  That role also included the protection of the Buddhist culture which forms the life of the individual.  The Buddhism is  well known as a great teaching, and the  Order of the Sangha is known as the protectors of that great teaching  and its actions  is a necessity and the followers of other religions should understand the role of the Buddhist Monk in a Buddhist country-Sri Lanka, and  consent to a healthy dialogue in place of vindictive actions and  distortion of facts through media.

The Grandpass event had been settled in a peaceful manner, which the Editor has failed to take in to account .  The most importantly at the meeting held on the dispute that arose over  the Grandpass Mosque, the Buddhist monks agreed to chop off the Bo tree so that the trustees of the mosque could use the space to build an  extensions to the mosque. Also in an unprecedented gesture of religious tolerance and amity, the Monks had  also invited the trustees of the mosque to use the temple Dharmasala any time they wanted extra space for prayers.

Editor Ceylon Today please note the  above and understand for yourself that the Buddhist monks are generous and tolerant contrary to the image the Editor is projecting of the Buddhist monks.  Their actions seem harsh and intolerant  only when their role as protectors of the Buddha Sasana is misunderstood, and they are portrayed as intolerant gangsters by the media such as yours- Ceylon Today.

What happened to the Proposed PSC on the 13 Amendment ?

There was quite an excitement some where in mid July about taking a decision on the removal or removing certain provisions of the 13Amendment to the Constitution. PSC was appointed with the Minister Nimal Siripala De Silva in the Chair.   Then  a decision  had been taken to call the views of the public on the issue.  The last date to receive the views of the public was  fixed for the 9^th August, 2013. 

Since then nothing has been heard.  The elections for the Northern Provincial Council is to be held in September.  Therefore any decision with regard to the 13 Amendment has to be taken now.

In the meantime there had been many events that have shifted the interest away from the 13^th  Amendment.  But it is more important that a decision is taken on the issue without further delay. The opposition are getting ready to create a political  upheaval allowing the public interest in the 13 Amendment to lapse.

There was recently an article in the Lanka Web by Chandrasena Pandithage warning the President of the dangers he is facing from many forces out to discredit the government and isolate the Country from the international scene, forcing the cancellation of the CHOGM, and to project Sri Lanka to the visiting UN High Commissioner of Human rights as a country violating the rights of the people, and   where there is no freedom of worship, and where there is Communal strife. Not forgetting the TNA’s all out effort to win the Northern Provincial Council Elections.

There is  a real danger to the life of the President and it is timely that he takes precautions as it is necessary that Sri Lanka has Mahinda Rajapakse as the President of Sri Lanka for some more time to come, along with his trusted Defence Secretary.  

There is a possible danger from CIA and the RAW.  CIA was able to change regimes with the presence in a country of only one of its Agents.  The President Premadasa was assassinated by a person who was very close to him and who had won his confidence. 

Therefore, it is wise that the President takes necessary safety measures.  The most dangerous period for the President  would be from now until the end of CHOGM.  The  smell of money makes even intelligent men fall to lowest levels.  The Tamil Diaspora has money to make people to do the dirtiest possible work.  We already see some intelligent people , intellectuals at that,  already carrying out propaganda for the TNA

UNP is in the mean time signing MoUs with other opposition parties to topple the Government.  UNP is a failed political Party and even though thousands will turn up for manifestations they organise, UNP and the Opposition will not be able to topple the government by turning the  masses against the government.  In the hey days of LSSP and  CP their meetings attracted the largest crowds, but at elections the people did not places their trust in them as much.

But all that should be left aside  and turn the government’s attention to what is more important. A decision to remove the 13 Amendment should be taken without further delay, without allowing other matters to take priority.

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Dayan Jayatilleke’s jubilation at the Master Stroke of Sampanthan

    

“Justice Wigneswaran is a candidate that every Tamil can be proud of to have as his and her representative, and may make a Chief Minister that most Sri Lankans of whichever ethnicity or religion can be proud of. In fact he will have the salutary effect of raising the bar of performance for every chief minister and Sri Lankan politician throughout the island.”

This is the eulogy with which Dayan Jayatilleke expresses his jubilation at the master stroke, as he calls it of TNA’s Sampanthan. It may perhaps be too early for his jubilation as Sampanthan’s master stroke if realised may  turn out to be a poisoned thorn  in the body politics of a United Sri Lanka.  It may also be good bye to reconciliation and Communal unity.  Because it may seal the Communal Separation, giving place to another eventual cabal for  several more decades of terrorism and direct suffering for the Tamils of the North and indirect suffering for the rest of the country.

Of course Dayan Jayatilleke is spoken of as an intellectual of a rare quality Sri Lanka has ever produced- a political analyst of distinction. But whether that is enough for him to prophecy what Sampanthan’s master stroke will turn out to be, we will well have to wait and see.

Dayan Jayatilleke is a well read man, a diplomat, a  professor and a writer.  He has read so much  and instilled in himself a foreign “intellect”,  because of which  he cannot write a page without quoting from one of the authors whose writings he had read. It is so frequent  that one cannot help presuming that Dayan Jayatilleke has no thoughts of his own. 

His mind is to that extent shaped , pruned and constructed by the knowledge gathered from foreign writings.  Therefore  Dayan Jayatilleke cannot think as an ordinary Sri Lankan to  understand what type of political development is best for Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka had been colonised by  three European Nations. Its culture had been assailed by foreign cultures and left to gather dust for several centuries.  Thereafter the country  came close to be  territorially divided by a  blood thirsty Tamil maniac who took guns to make his dreams a reality. Even though the blood thirsty Tamil maniac is no more , there are his counterparts with the same dream hoping to realise it without guns- at least for the moment. 

They are more dangerous than the maniac who we have just disposed of. The worst of it is, that  there are those, who are intellectually different from the ordinary Sri Lankans who are ready to follow them shouting  in superlatives from roof tops their appropriateness to shape the political destinies of Sri Lanka.  Dayan Jayatillake is one such intellectual who follows a man with such a dream being dragged into politics by cunning politicians with a separatist plan. Of the choice of this man Dayan Jayatilleke says:

 “The choice of Justice Wigneswaran illustrates the kind of strategic thinking that is needed in politics when fundamental issues are at stake; strategic thinking that is willing to stand up to and sacrifice more obvious ethno-populist passions and pressures for the defence of vital interests of the entirety of the people and place one represents. The choice further shows a capacity on the part of Mr Sampanthan (and his able young supporter Mr Sumanthiran) to think through those strategic interests in a manner that transcends baser ethno-populist sentiment. In short, Mr Sampanthan and Mr Sumanthiran have accurately understood strategic Tamil interests which they have not confused with the lowest common denominator of Tamil sentiments.”

Dayan Jayatilleke cannot think independantly and depends on other peoples’ choices to fall in line with their thinking. All know Sampanthan and  Sumanthiran are the blind followers of the terrorist leader who dreamed of a separate Tamil EElam. They have selected to lead the Northern Provincial Council if they were to be the winners,  a man who thinks like them to assure the realisation of their pet dream the separate Tamil Eelam State.

Why do most of the Sri Lankans think that the TNA would be a bad choice of the Tamil people of the North to hand over the responsibility of the Governance of the Northern Provinial Council ?

Because Sri Lanka   had lost count of its strength in unity and its  potentials of development and progress during the many centuries of colonial rule, and had been dragged into a three decade of suffering under terrorism because of a wrong belief in a Tamil ethnic superiority for which TNA was responsible as a proxy to the terrorists.

 It is not through asserting the superiority of one community or another that the future development , peace and progress of  Sri Lanka could be assured, but it is  in forgetting the Communal difference and forging ahead as a united nation that  Sri Lanka will reach its goal of being a peaceful, contented Nation.

For that a man like V.Wigneshwaran is quite unsuitable. As Dayan Jayatilleke himself admits Wigneshwaran is a federalist, who believes in self dermination:

Dayan Jayatilleke states, writing about Judge Wigneshwaran:

 “He will not bend the knee and tug his forelock before the Sinhala Establishment. He is nobody’s "malli". An interview given to Ayesha Zuhair in 2011 reveals him to be a federalist who stands for the right of self-determination, though he never strays into endorsing secession. What is tricky is not the federalism but the fact that in most parts of the world, federalists do not stand for self –determination, though he belongs to that tendency which does.”

Is this the man we want to be the Chief Minister of the Northern Provincial Council ?  He is suitable in the eyes of Dayan Jayatilleke, but is it  what  most of the other Sri Lankans want ? 

Dayan Jayatillake thinks that the South is racist (he means the Sinhala), which is the “ radical evil” now remaining in the South.  Dayan Jayatillake says:

 “With the forces of ‘radical evil’ (as the great Goethe designated it) defeated in the North and East but not yet in the South, it will be a harsh and bitter struggle though—and a grim, emotive, turbulent transition. Living with and accommodating a TNA run Northern provincial council led by Justice Wigneswaran will require and may generate a profound shift in the collective psyche.”

Dayan Jayatilleke who it has been said removed the images of the Buddha from the Embassy when he was the Ambassador for Sri Lanka in Paris, does not seem to have understood the ordinary Sinhala people.  The Sinhala people are far from being racists.  They always accommodated the Tamils and had no problems with them.  The Sinhala-Tamils riots which were unfortunate do not represent the Sinhala Mindset.

Even today, after three decades of terrorism Sinhala people have nothing against the Tamil people. What Sinhala people want is that the people of the Tamil Community  stop thinking in terms of Tamil ethnicity, but accept all communities as compatriots forming a one large Community of Sri Lankans.

Dayan Jayatilleke with his “construed mind set”, thinking with  his  “ foreign knowledge promoted intellectuality “ which has nothing of his own and least of  any thing Sinhala, is unable to grasp the simple political realities.  He is not of the common Sinhala people, hence he detests those not educated in English ?   
He says:

“The Sinhala Establishment has to get its head around the fact that though the Tigers were utterly defeated, the Tamil community has not been cowed and has bounced back politically. One of the reasons for this resilience and recovery is the continued availability of an educated elite, literate in an international language (English)—a sociological resource which has been depleted on the Sinhala side by and driven into alienation or exile by the state of suffocation imposed by the State. On the Tamil side the English educated elite is still available for politics and public service and is welcomed by Tamil society while on the Sinhala side, the public welcomes the incorporation of the elite but the dominant monolingual petty bourgeoisie which monopolises the state apparatus, does not.”

What a rash statement ? And he adds:

“The choice of Justice Wigneswaran as Chief Ministerial candidate shows firstly, that the Tamil professional elite is still intact and willing to engage in politics and secondly, that the Sinhala state which has shed the equivalent human resources will find it difficult to compete in the regional and international arena."

Dayan Jayatilleke is for keeping the 13 Amendment intact, and he says:

“It is not however a zero-sum game in which Tamil interests win and Sinhala interests lose. Indeed the choice they have pushed for, Justice Wigneswaran is the best chance to make the 13th amendment work and is therefore the best hope for North-South reintegration on the basis of frankness, dignity and mutual respect.”

That is the way he thinks the reconciliation will work for Sri Lanka.  He is mentally still living “haunted” by the period of Vardarajaperumal  and Pathmanabha, hence unable to come down to think of Sri Lanka stepping out of the past three decades of suffering under terrorism and beginning a “new life” attempting to form  a single Nation uniting the  three Communities,  seeking a different path from that which  it had been traversing  before terrorism. 

Dayan Jayatilleke says:

“Sri Lanka, it must be recalled, is haunted by the negative experience of the North Eastern Provincial Council. One of the reasons for its failure was the personality of Vardarajaperumal who was chosen as Chief Minister (despite my strenuous representations to the EPRLF leader K Pathmanabha as well as the Indian side). Perumal’s lack of political maturity and realism in dealing with the Sri Lankan state, his mercurial populism and alcohol-fuelled adventurism were among the main reasons for the mishandling of the inevitable contradictions between the periphery and the centre.”

The 13 Amendment is a deterrent to what is essential for the evolution of a “New Sri Lanka” devoid of Communal Separatism.   

That Dayan Jayatilleke does not seem to want, and therefore he  states:

“Justice Wigneswaran is hardly a Vardarajaperumal. Educated in Colombo and a distinguished senior representative of one of the arms of the Sri Lankan state itself, he has long functioned in a multiethnic social universe. A dignified yet outspoken, multilingual man, he is in the current circumstances, the best possible bridge between North and South. He is, in sum, the TNA’s Lakshman Kadirgamar.”

What a shame he compares Wigneshwaran to late Lakshman Kadirgamar !

Dayan Jayatilleke issues a warning to the Government ( or is it to the Defence Secretary his reference  being “the security managers”)  in saying, “If the deep state is hoping to de-stabilise the elected Northern provincial council, the security managers will have to think again. In the event of a manufactured crisis and a creeping or dramatic coup by the capital, who would be the better interlocutor with the world community; who would be better able to convince the world’s capitals? The national security fundamentalists or an erudite, reasonable, articulate ex-Supreme Court judge? “

With this type of statements  one really wonders how he could have been  trusted to defended a unitary Sri Lanka ?

Dayan Jayatilleke affirms, “ With Sampanthan, Sumanthiran and Wigneswaran, the fate of the Tamil community is in the best possible democratic hands.”

So far Sampanthan and the TNA have not shown any signs of being democratic.  They  are constantly in breach of the  Constitution of Sri Lanka , calling for the establishment of a separate Tamil Eelam State and  seeking the aid of foreign Governments to destabilise Sri Lanka . 

If Wigneshwaran were to be of the same ilk, reconciliation of Communities will be far from what Dayan Jayatilleke says,  “the best hope for North-South reintegration on the basis of frankness, dignity and mutual respect.”

Weliveriya in the Limelight

On 12 March 2012 the Mail Online reported , “NATO troops in Afghanistan are on high alert after the Taliban vowed to avenge the deaths of 16 innocent civilians - including nine children and three women - who were shot and killed by a rogue U.S. soldier who opened fire after suffering a 'mental breakdown' early Sunday morning.

 The Army staff sergeant, stationed at a U.S. base in Kandahar, entered three Afghan family’s homes at 3am and began the vicious killing spree. Relatives of the dead said he then 'poured chemicals over their dead bodies and burned them.'

The shooter is an Army staff sergeant from Fort Lewis-McChord in Washington state, and was believed to have acted alone.”

On 27 March, 2011 Rollingstone Politics reported under the title, " The Kill Team:How US Soldiers in Afghanistan Murdered Innocent Civilians."

“Cpl. Jeremy Morlock and Pfc. Andrew Holmes, saw a young farmer who was working by himself among the spiky shoots. Off in the distance, a few other soldiers stood sentry. But the farmer was the only Afghan in sight. With no one around to witness, the timing was right. And just like that, they picked him for execution.

He was a smooth-faced kid, about 15 years old. Not much younger than they were: Morlock was 21, Holmes was 19. His name, they would later learn, was Gul Mudin, a common name in Afghanistan. He was wearing a little cap and a Western-style green jacket. He held nothing in his hand that could be interpreted as a weapon, not even a shovel. The expression on his face was welcoming. "He was not a threat," Morlock later confessed. ”

All that is without mentioning killing of children , men and women in Pakistan boarder villages with American drone attacks.

It is America with such a history  which speaks about its concern over Weliweriya incident. I t has been reported that, the U.S. State Department in a release to Indian media has said, that “We are concerned by recent violent incidents including shootings in Weliweriya, Sri Lanka," US State Department seems to have nothing better to do than having its eyes riveted to Sri Lanka.

It was a manifestation of the people  over pollution of water that had been turned out by those who are  waiting for an opportunity to make the best of any situation for their political gain that caused the tragic loss of lives. The American State Department would have been more wiser if it had requested the government how it could help to provide the people with fresh water, without making it a diplomatic issue to find fault with the government and interfere into  a matter which the government is dealing with satisfactorily despite the loss of lives. 

The people of Sri Lanka know very well that the Armed Forces would not be deployed if any situation could be brought under  control by the Police. It is only when the Police demands the Military intervention that the Armed Forces are moved in.  That the American State Department should know very well without being over concerned about such a situation happening in Sri Lanka.
In the Countries of the International Community these incidences are not uncommon, in France they call them “bavures” –blunders, only difference is that the US State Department does not express their “concern” and the Human rights activists do not interfere. But Sri Lanka will, unfortunately remain the concern of all interfering bums, whether it  does any thing good or make any errors. In European Countries there is a special security force that intervenes in manifestations and their actions are often criticised as disproportionate.

Sri Lanka Armed Force has a greater link with the people. The soldiers of our Armed forces are also our own children. They do not  flare out unconcerned of the security of the people.  They are an army experienced in providing protective  cover.  The Army when it is provoked by elements who are determined to  discredit the Army by throwing petrol bombs and stones, cannot remain without reacting. It is those provocateurs who are primarily responsible and should be blamed  for the death of the  three youth, and not the Army.

The  Army cannot be present at a scene of  disorder with the situation getting  beyond control, with their arms folded and suffer the petrol bomb attacks by disorderly elements.  That is what the CFA forced the Army to do when the LTTE terrorists were occupying the areas allocated to them under the CFA.  It is easy to find fault with the Armed Forces , but who were responsible to  have made the manifestations at Weliveriya go beyond police control.

It is only the Government and its allies that continue to keep the country’s development going and make the best of  even the worst situation despite occasional difficulties that it has to face. 
The Opposition parties in Sri Lanka are less National minded and make use of every  opportunity to discredit the government not because they love the people and the country better but because  they are hoping that  they could topple the government and force new Presidential and Parliamentary elections. 
The TNA may or may not win the Provincial Council elections , but even if they were to be elected, the people will not allow TNA to divide the country or have their own way in the North.

In the meantime Bar Association is also trying to make things difficult for the Government, taking up the Weliveriya issue as they are aware that there is  big money in Government bashing.  The unlimited funds in the hands of the Terrorist Front Organisations and foreign visits sponsored by the USA Statement department are tempting issues that the BASL would like to profit from.

Catholic Church  is as usual busy with its under hand activities. The water pollution in Weliveriya over which the people had manifested had been apparently settled in the presence of a Catholic Priest. 

The authorities concerned had come to an agreement in consultation with the parties concerned to test the water and provided fresh water until a permanent solution is found.  It was apparently after that a second manifestation had been organised.

UNP is as usual seeking political mileage without attempting to find a solution without allowing the matter to take an International proportion. 

The Government is also partly responsible to have allowed  such a situation to arise in Weliveriya.  The Government has gone a long way to provide the people with houses, roads, transport and  electricity , but providing fresh water to the people is as important.

The Government should know that the people should come first even at the cost of constructing lesser hotels, lesser golf links or not opening casinos to promote tourism , and  importing lesser number of Lamborghinis to please the rich few.  The respective public administrative authorities should be aware of their duties and should provide facilities for people’s health and comfort.

UNP calling for an International Investigation on the Weliveriya issue is most despicable.  Sri Lanka belongs to every one what ever political views one holds and keeping it away from foreign interference is the duty of every one.  What is happening in Sri Lanka is not any thing different from what happens elsewhere in the world.  It is not the fault of the Rajapakses. But there are far too many stake holders who would like to make Sri Lanka a failed State.

The unfortunate deaths in Weliveriya are very much regretted.  We are all responsible for such situations. For thirty long years we have sacrificed a large number of our youth to provide for us living today peace and security. Why should we now make situations difficult and solutions impossible ? 

We should help each other  to find solutions for the common benefit of all the people and the country.