US embassy cable - 04COLOMBO1757

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 COLOMBO 001757 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR SA, SA/INS 
NSC FOR E.MILLARD 
PLEASE ALSO PASS TOPEC 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/25/2014 
TAGS: PHUM, PREL, PGOV, CE, Religious Freedom 
SUBJECT: SRI LANKA: DRL/IRF VISIT ELICITS VARIOUS 
PERSPECTIVES ON ANTI-CONVERSION LEGISLATION 
 
REF: COLOMBO 1379 
 
Classified By: James F. Entwistle, Deputy Chief of Mission.  1.4 (b,d) 
 
1.  (SBU)  SUMMARY. In an October 7-8 visit, Joanella 
Morales, Foreign Affairs Officer in the Office of 
International Religious Freedom in the Bureau of Democracy, 
Human Rights and Labor (DRL/IRF), discussed religious freedom 
issues and possible anti-conversion legislation in Sri Lanka 
with representatives from various religious groups. 
Christian groups remain concerned about the anti-conversion 
legislation sponsored by Buddhist monk MPs, and are 
distressed by a spate of attacks on churches and Christian 
organizations earlier this year.  Despite the August Supreme 
Court finding that key parts of the proposed legislation are 
unconstitutional, some Buddhist monk MPs from the Jathika 
Hela Urumaya (JHU) are still considering proposing some form 
of legislation, either a revised version of the previous bill 
or reportedly  even a possible amendment to the constitution. 
 While some Hindu groups nominally support anti-conversion 
legislation, they lack sufficient political clout to make 
their voices heard.  Although some Muslim leaders have 
expressed dismay about the anti-conversion legislation, 
Muslim groups have not taken a public stand on this issue. 
END SUMMARY. 
 
Christian Point of View 
------------------------ 
2. (SBU) Joanella Morales of DRL/IRF visited Sri Lanka 
October 7-8 to meet with religious leaders and NGO activists 
to explore reactions to proposed anti-conversion legislation. 
 Rohan Edrisinha, Director of the Center for Policy 
Alternatives (CPA) and an opponent of anti-conversion 
legislation, told Morales that the proposed legislation is 
driven by allegations that evangelical churches "unethically 
induce" poor people to convert to Christianity through 
offering gifts of money, clothing, or other items.  (Note: 
CPA was one of several parties who presented petitions to the 
Supreme Court earlier this year against the Jathika Hela 
Urumaya (JHU)-sponsored religious anti-conversion 
legislation.  End note.)  While the conversion tactics some 
evangelical churches use are sometimes aggressive or 
insensitive, he said, freedom of speech should nonetheless be 
protected.  Discussing the possibility of inter-religious 
councils to address the issue of unethical conversions, 
Edrisinha speculated that persuading "charismatic" 
evangelical churches accused of "unethical" conversions to 
participate could be difficult, given that over 100 of these 
churches are not affiliated with other churches or umbrella 
Christian groups. 
 
3. (SBU)  Edrisinha denied that persecution of Christians 
stopped after the August Supreme Court decision ruling 
portions of the JHU anti-conversion legislation 
unconstitutional (Reftel).  Instead, he charged that some 
Buddhist monks and lay people continue to intimidate 
evangelical Christian groups and churches, although not on 
the same scale as during the first half of the year, when 
attacks on about 25 Christian churches and organizations 
occurred.  He suggested that since the Supreme Court had 
ruled portions of the JHU anti-conversion legislation 
unconstitutional, the JHU now might try to change the 
Constitution itself.  He referred to a possible JHU-sponsored 
18th amendment to the Constitution, making Buddhism the state 
religion and requiring that Buddhists raise their children in 
the religion.  Edrisinha asserted that the amendment has 
already been drafted but has not yet been tabled in 
Parliament. 
 
4.  (C)  Christian interlocutors told Morales that they 
attribute the anti-conversion sentiment whipped up by the JHU 
to the all-too human foible of scapegoating.  According to 
Chrisso Handy, Pastor of the evangelical People's Church in 
Colombo, members of the majority community may feel insecure 
or unhappy for a number of reasons, such as the rising cost 
of living or fears that a political settlement to the ethnic 
conflict might undermine their status.  People want someone 
to blame for all of this unwanted change, Handy reasoned, and 
Christian churches, especially small, independent ones, 
provide a convenient target. 
Buddhist Perspectives 
--------------------- 
5. (SBU) In an October 8 conversation with Morales, JHU 
Secretary and MP Ven. Uduwe Dhammaloka Thero stated that the 
 
SIPDIS 
JHU would be the first to condemn violence against any 
religion.  All religions have equal status with Buddhism, he 
said; people working against other religions are not true 
Buddhists.  That said, recent "unfortunate" actions by 
Christian NGOs have changed a situation in which hundreds of 
years of peaceful cohabitation with other religions was the 
norm, he charged.  These NGOs seek out the poorest villages 
and offer material items and money to induce conversion, he 
claimed;, some groups even distribute biscuits shaped like 
the Buddha in an effort to denigrate the religion.  (Note: 
Christian leaders have told us they hear this allegation 
repeatedly as well and have asked those making these claims 
to substantiate them by providing samples of these biscuits. 
To date, according to Godfrey Yogarajah of the National 
Christian Evangelical Alliance, no one has been able to do 
so.  End note.)  Rather than promoting intolerance, the JHU 
brought the legislation to "bring harmony to the country," 
according to the Dhammaloka Thero, who said he was willing to 
discuss the issue with other religious leaders. 
 
6.  (SBU) Dhammaloka Thero admitted that the JHU might submit 
an amendment to the Constitution, but denied there was a 
draft in progress.  Morales commented that if such an 
amendment were to be proposed, the USG would be concerned 
about the implications for religious freedom in Sri Lanka. 
In a separate conversation, Dr. Kollupitiye Mahinda 
Sangharakhita Thero, the Chief Monk of the Kelaniya Raja Maha 
Viharaya near Colombo, told Morales that he recognizes that 
the proposed legislation might not be the best means of 
halting induced conversions, but nonetheless supports the 
preventive effect he believes it might offer.  He reiterated 
allegations of Christian attempts to discredit Buddhism, 
claiming that converts are asked to smash Buddha statues. 
 
Nominal Hindu Support for Legislation 
-------------------------------------- 
7. (SBU) S. Neelakandan, General Secretary of the All Ceylon 
Hindu Congress (ACHC), told Morales that his organization 
supports the anti-conversion legislation proposed by the JHU. 
 Indeed, ACHC was involved in sponsoring an earlier 
anti-conversion bill in 2003, which was never tabled in 
Parliament, he reported.  Neelakandan charged that because of 
the ethnic conflict, thousands of people became refugees and 
were thus more vulnerable to "enticements" by evangelical 
NGOs and churches from Japan, Canada and India working with 
refugee populations.  Like Sangharakhita Thero of the 
Kelaniya Buddhist Temple, Neelakandan supports the preventive 
nature of the bill, even though he conceded that enforcement 
might be problematic.  He acknowledged, however, that the 
ACHC had not been able to mobilize government support for the 
bill, noting that Minister of Hindu Affairs Douglas Devananda 
has not heeded ACHC's call for support of the legislation. 
 
Muslims Not Active Against Legislation 
-------------------------------------- 
8. (SBU) CPA's Edrisinha asserted that members of the Muslim 
community are "very concerned" about the anti-conversion 
legislation, but do not readily take a public stand on this 
controversial issue.  Conversations with Muslim leaders, 
however, yielded no evidence of strong concern about the 
legislation.  Alavi Mowlana, Governor of the Western Province 
and a prominent Muslim activist, commented that although 
Muslims oppose unethical conversions, the community is not 
taking a position on the proposed legislation.  Other Muslim 
interlocutors indicated they are also opposed to unethical 
conversions in principle, but appear indifferent to the JHU 
legislation. 
 
The Official Line 
------------------ 
9. (C) In an October 8 meeting with Chitranganie Wagiswara, 
Additional Secretary for SAARC at the Ministry of Foreign 
Affairs, Morales noted that she was concerned about the 
increase in violence against Christian groups and about 
proposed anti-conversion legislation in Sri Lanka.  Wagiswara 
emphasized that Sri Lanka is a tolerant society, and that 
attacks against Christians are carried out by only a very 
small number of people.   The JHU bill was a private member's 
bill, she noted, adding that each group is free to express 
its views in a democracy.  When asked about the (more 
restrictive) Government-sponsored bill, she reported that it 
is currently with the Attorney General's (AG) office, where 
it is being reviewed for constitutional conflicts.  After 
consultation with the Legal Draftsperson, the AG will forward 
the bill to the Cabinet.  If the Cabinet is satisfied, then 
the bill will go to Parliament. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
10. (C) While MFA interlocutors downplayed the potential 
risks to Sri Lanka's reputation for religious tolerance, 
representatives from Christian organizations do not see such 
a sunny picture.  Christian leaders have repeatedly told us 
that they also oppose "unethical" conversions.  The obvious 
problem, of course, is determining what constitutes an 
"unethical" conversion.  Inter-religious councils could play 
an important role in minimizing the resentment that purported 
"unethical" conversions have caused among Buddhists and 
Hindus; however, convincing independent-minded evangelical 
churches to enter such discussions might be difficult.  Many 
evangelical churches are not affiliated with other churches 
or umbrella Christian groups and might not participate in 
inter-religious councils even if they were invited.  How 
either JHU or GSL legislation would fare in Parliament may 
depend on whether or not the major parties decide to use 
anti-conversion legislation as an opportunity to appeal for 
much-needed support from a largely Buddhist majority 
disgruntled by the ever-increasing cost of living.  While 
many Tamil Hindus may support the anti-conversion 
legislation, it is unlikely that Tamil Hindu 
parliamentarians, the majority of whom are pro-LTTE Tamil 
National Alliance MPs, or Minister of Hindu Affairs Douglas 
Devananda will support legislation which smacks of Buddhist 
chauvinism (and could alienate the 30 percent of Tamils who 
are Christian).   END COMMENT. 
 
11. (U)  Joanella Morales did not have an opportunity to 
clear this cable. 
LUNSTEAD