US embassy cable - 05COLOMBO1292

C O N F I D E N T I A L COLOMBO 001292 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/26/2015 
TAGS: KIRF, PHUM, PGOV, CE, Religious Freedom 
SUBJECT: PRESIDENT PROMISES ANTI-CONVERSION BILL WILL NOT 
MOVE FORWARD 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Jeffrey J. Lunstead for reasons 1.4 (b) and ( 
d). 
 
 1.  (C) Ambassador and other Chiefs of Mission from Tokyo 
Co-Chairs (UK for EU, Norway, Japan) called on President 
Kumaratunga July 25 to discuss Peace Process issues.  At 
the end of that discussion Ambassador said he wanted to 
raise a separate issue, that of the anti-conversion bill. 
Foreign Minister Kadirgamar interjected to say he was glad 
Ambassador had raised that subject because they could now 
clear up some confusion.  He said that after Ambassador had 
raised the subject with him last week and mentioned that 
Government anti-conversion bill had been gazetted, 
he had brought it up in Cabinet two days later even 
though it was not on the agenda, since he and some 
other Ministers were themselves confused as to what 
was happening. 
 
2.  (C) President Kumaratunga then said that although the 
Bill had been gazetted, it had not yet been tabled in 
Parliament.  Buddhist Affairs Minister Wickremanayake had 
gazetted the Bill, she said, because at that time the 
Government was under pressure from its coalition partner, 
the Buddhist-chauvinist JVP.  (The JVP has since left the 
coalition.)  But, she said, at the Cabinet meeting, it had 
been agreed that the Government Bill would not be tabled. 
Wickremanayake had promised not to do so. 
 
3.  (C) Kumaratunga continued that a Parliamentary debate 
on the JHU anti-conversion bill was scheduled for 
August 10, but that this was through an adjournment 
motion, where any Member of Parliament can ask for a 
debate on a subject.  Debate through an adjournment 
motion was limited to two hours, however, and did 
not lead to a vote.  The JHU bill was still bottled 
up in a Parliamentary Committee, and they intended 
to keep it there.  At any rate, the Supreme Court 
had found all but one clause in the JHU Bill to be 
unconstitutional. 
 
4.  (C) Foreign Minister added that the Government Bill was 
a terrible bill and if tabled would be challenged in the 
Supreme Court, which would almost certainly find major 
portions of it to be unconstitutional.  Nonetheless, it 
would be better to avoid tabling.  He added that a number 
of Ministers were relieved at the outcome because they 
dreaded the thought of having to vote on the Bill. 
 
5.  (C) Ambassador thanked the President for her assurances 
and said that this would ease the minds of many in the US. 
Foreign Minister added that it would be helpful if groups 
in the US were careful in their public statements on this 
issue, since raising the profile could put the Government 
in an awkward position. 
 
6.  (C) COMMENT:  President Kumaratunga was categorical in 
her assertion that the Bill would not go forward, and seems 
to have extracted a promise to that effect from the 
Buddhist Affairs Minister.  Given this strong assurance, we 
believe that a USG statement at this time is not necessary 
and could indeed be counter-productive. 
LUNSTEAD