US embassy cable - 04COLOMBO192

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 COLOMBO 000192 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR SA, SA/INS, INR/NESA, DRL/CRA, DRL/IRF, 
DRL/PHD, SA/PD 
 
NSC FOR E. MILLARD 
 
PLEASE ALSO PASS TOPEC 
 
E.O. 12958:         DECL:  02/03/14 
TAGS: PGOV, PINS, PREL, PHUM, SOCI, KPAO, CE, Religious Freedom 
SUBJECT:  Church attacks continue, but pressure for GSL 
to enact "anti-conversion" legislation seems to abate 
 
Refs:  (A) Colombo - SA/INS 02/03/04 unclass e-mail 
-      (B) Colombo 17, and previous 
 
(U) Classified by Ambassador Jeffrey J. Lunstead. 
Reasons 1.5 (b,d). 
 
1.  (C) SUMMARY:  There have been several attacks on 
churches in recent weeks, continuing the trend that 
began in 2003.  The President and the PM have both 
condemned the attacks, but, as of yet, there have been 
few arrests and no prosecutions.  On the positive side, 
pressure on the government to enact legislation against 
so-called "unethical conversions" appears to have abated 
somewhat.  Many Sri Lankans have been shocked and 
repulsed by the attacks, and it appears that the country 
may be slowly turning a corner.  That said, Buddhist 
extremists remain a force to reckon with.  END SUMMARY. 
 
============ 
More Attacks 
============ 
 
2.  (SBU) There have been several attacks on churches in 
recent weeks, continuing the trend that began in 2003 
(see Ref B).  Extremist Buddhist monks continue to be 
implicated in the incidents.  Details of three of the 
recent attacks -- which all occurred just east of 
Colombo and involved Catholic churches (most previous 
attacks were on Evangelical Protestant churches) -- 
follow: 
 
-- On January 26, a Catholic church in Mattegoda, 
located some 15 miles east of Colombo, was damaged in a 
late-night arson attack.  No injuries were reported, but 
part of the building was damaged.  No arrests have been 
made to date. 
 
-- On January 18, St. Anthony's Catholic Church in 
Hokandara, located 10 miles east of Colombo, was 
attacked.  There were no injuries in the incident. 
Police have not made any arrests to date. 
 
-- On January 15, St. Michael's Roman Catholic Church in 
the vicinity of Homagama, 20 miles east of Colombo, was 
attacked.  There were no injuries nor any arrests. 
 
3.  (SBU) (Note:  As outlined in Ref A, the National 
Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka, "NCEASL," 
reports that there were over 100 attacks on religious 
organizations and places of worship in 2003.  Of those 
reported attacks, over 50 reportedly occurred in the 
December 2003 timeframe.  NCEASL asserts that there were 
over 30 attacks in January 2004.  Mission continues to 
try to confirm the reported incidents listed by NCEASL. 
End Note.) 
 
=========================================== 
Right Words at the Top, but no Prosecutions 
=========================================== 
 
4.  (SBU) President Kumaratunga continues to publicly 
speak out in condemnation of the attacks.  Prime 
Minister Wickremesinghe and other GSL officials have 
also publicly condemned the attacks.  Despite the 
outcry, there have been few arrests and no prosecutions 
in these cases.  (Note:  Mission has heard a report that 
one person may have been arrested in one of the attacks 
and then released on bail.)  There was one case of 
discipline being meted out, however, when the local 
police chief was transferred for not taking preventive 
steps in the connection with the Mattegoda attack 
mentioned above. 
 
5.  (C) When asked about the situation on January 30 by 
the Ambassador, G.L. Peiris, a key adviser to the PM and 
Constitutional Affairs Minister, admitted that he knew 
of no prosecutions in any of the cases.  Peiris felt 
there was local pressure on the police not to pursue the 
investigations, as well as a lack of direction from 
higher-level officials.  As he has with many other GSL 
officials, the Ambassador expressed deep concern about 
the attacks and underscored that it was necessary for 
the government to take steps against those responsible. 
Other interlocutors have also suggested that the lack of 
police action stems from the reticence of local 
authorities to be seen questioning (the extremist) 
Buddhist monks, who are often implicated in the attacks. 
Other contacts report that local Christian officials are 
also reluctant to press charges, fearing that they and 
their community may become a target for further acts of 
violence. 
 
====================================== 
Whither "Anti-Conversion" Legislation? 
====================================== 
 
6.  (C) While the attacks on Christian groups continue, 
there are indications that some of the pressure for the 
GSL to enact legislation against so-called "unethical 
conversions" may be abating.  (Note:  Draft legislation 
on this topic was developed last year and has been 
"under review" in the Attorney General's office for 
several months -- See Ref B.)  One reason for the 
decrease in pressure may be the following:  local 
committees consisting of representatives of various 
religious groups recently set up by the PM to discuss 
tensions (see Ref B) have been meeting and evidently 
have had some success in defusing some of the fervency 
of Buddhist concerns.  Moreover, some of the anger about 
the conversions matter may have also been funneled into 
a 31-member committee of Buddhist monks recently 
established by W.J.M. Lokubandara, Minister of Buddhist 
Affairs.  According to contacts, Buddhists are aiming 
barbs at each other in the committee, with more radical 
members pitted against moderate monks. 
 
7.  (SBU) Coupled with these developments, there has 
also been a significant reaction in the local press and 
in Colombo "elite" circles against the spike in 
religious tensions.  Civil society commentators have 
called for greater interfaith dialogue and have 
characterized the draft legislation as misguided and 
counter to Sri Lanka's reputation for religious freedom. 
As for the press, the following excerpts are 
representative of the many recent editorials and op-eds 
in local English-language papers expressing concern 
about the religious freedom situation: 
 
-- A February 1 editorial in the SUNDAY OBSERVER, a 
government-owned English weekly, said the "desecration 
of places of worship and the destruction of sacred 
symbols cannot serve the interest of reviving or 
sustaining religion and community.  It only further 
undermines civilization and the religious traditions of 
the perpetrators." 
 
-- An editorial in the January 29 ISLAND, an independent 
English daily, stated that "churches are not for 
burning.  Anonymous posters with anti-religious 
overtones are still appearing...these are forces that 
have to be tracked down." 
 
-- An op-ed in the ISLAND on January 29 stated that "the 
adoption of legislation to regulate a change of 
religious belief or faith is not...a measure the 
government should take.  It is neither practicable or 
desirable to try to legislatively define conversions by 
`unethical' means." 
 
======= 
COMMENT 
======= 
 
8.  (C) Not wanting their country to become a religious 
battleground (it is already ethnically divided), Sri 
Lankans, in general, have been shocked and repulsed by 
the church attacks.  Given the depth of these concerns, 
Sri Lanka may be slowly turning a corner on religious 
freedom.  That said, Buddhist extremists remain a force 
to be reckoned with.  Until the government arrests and 
prosecutes someone, the extremists will probably not be 
deterred in their attacks.  In the ongoing milieu of 
cohabitation turbulence, the extremists probably are 
calculating that they can get away with the violence. 
In light of the threat to civil peace, the government 
clearly needs to be much more vigilant and forceful in 
its response.  END COMMENT. 
 
9.  (U) Minimize considered. 
 
LUNSTEAD