Bishop of Colombo Rt. Rev. Dhiloraj R. Canagasabey has called on the government, political parties, religious and ethnic communities to refrain from playing politics with the ethnic issue and arouse divisions and communalism. Let all of us move beyond our entrenched mind sets to understand the other, their problems and their pain, he has said. He also called on the government to carry out a full, impartial and timely inquiry into the tragic incident that happened in Jaffna and to bring those guilty to justice.
“The value of human life has been unbelievably cheapened in Sri Lanka in the past decades. To re-instil them in the hearts and minds especially of our young people is what true religion calls us to do.
“Even as we condemn these killings, we also need to appreciate the quick reaction of the government in preventing a cover-up, for immediate action taken to arrest the policemen involved and the assurance by the President and the Prime Minister of a full inquiry. These are essential steps to prevent a further escalation of the situation and its exploitation by extremist elements on both sides,” he said in a special statement. The statement said; “Our nation and our people have suffered too long. We need to say ‘No’ and ‘Never Again’ to the path of conflict and violence. For this, may we be inspired by the highest and noblest teachings of all our religions to grasp this chance and to walk the path of Peace and Reconciliation.
“Recently, representative from all our churches in all parts of the country, representing the Sinhala and Tamil communities as well as some other minorities met for three days during the Diocese of Colombo’s 131st Annual sessions. In the course of my address to the Council, I stated that we had the best opportunity at the present time in very many years, to hammer out an agreement for a fair, just and sustainable devolution of power.
“The two major Sinhala parties and Muslim parties are members of the government, there is a degree of trust and cordiality with the TNA, several important pieces of legislation such as the Office of Missing Persons Bill and the Right to Information Bill have been made into law.
“There is greater freedom of expression, of dissent and of recourse to fair legal remedies. The work on the new Constitution which will lay the legal framework for the revolution of power and the further democratization of society is also proceeding apace.
“The government needs to understand that there is much frustration and a feeling of disappointment amongst the people of the North and East at the pace of change. It is no secret that the minorities voted overwhelmingly to ensure the election of the present President in the hope of rapid change, for security, an improvement to their daily lives and the chance to live with dignity. “People also looked forward to a quick return of private lands still occupied by the Armed Forces, the release of persons held for very long periods against whom no charges have been laid and answers to what had happened to their ‘disappeared’ loved ones.
“One outcome of this frustration and poverty is the increasing cases of alcoholism, drugs and prostitution in these areas. The government must understand this frustration and work with all groups to communicate to the affected people that they are genuinely seeking to resolve these issues.”