Friday, 03 June 2005

The Attorney General must Act Even-handedly in Trincomalee to prove that he is Neither a Racist nor a  Government Official Manipulated by the LTTE

Mr K.C Kamalasabesan                                                                                    

The Attorney General

Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka

Dear Mr Kamalasabesan,

The Current Status  

It has been reported widely that on 31 May 2005 you filed a plaint seeking the Trincomalee District Court Judge Mr.S.Thiagendran to declare the construction of the Buddha statue at the Trincomalee Bus Stand as unlawful and to issue an enjoining order preventing Trincomalee Buddhists from worshiping, making further improvement, alteration and building any new additions to the disputed structure until the matter is resolved by the court.

We understand from legal sources that judge S.Thiagendran, after hearing the submission of the State Council, issued the enjoining order restraining the respondent Mr Keerthi Jayalal (the Secretary of the Trincomalee Three Wheelers Association) or other sympathetic Buddhists from making alterations to the Buddha statue until the inquiry into the case filed by you, the Attorney General is complete and orders made by the Trincomalee Magistrate on May 18 and May 25 in this regard are carried out.

The District Judge further instructed to serve the enjoining order on the respondent and to issue notice on the respondent to appear in court on June 13 when the case is to be taken up for further inquiry.  We are also surprised to observe that a majority of the State Councillors who participated filing the plaint representing you, a Hindu Tamil were non-Buddhists, giving a racial tone to the whole proceedings. For example, the State Councillors used by you included Ms Chitravelu and Mr Nawas, giving currency (rightly or wrongly) to the fact that your actions reinforce the conspiratorial practices against Sinhalese Buddhists living peacefully in Trincomalee.

We believe your actions to be outside normal legal protocol and a violation of fundamental rights granted under the sovereign constitution of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. Your action for the first time in modern history has prevented Sri Lankan Buddhists from freely practicing their religion. As a Human Rights Organisation we consider your decision to be a violation of the freedom of religious association, a fundamental human right granted to all citizens in the civilised world.

Separating Facts from Fiction

It is a well-known fact that the Buddhist stature in dispute did not materialise from thin air on 15 May 2005. The three wheel drivers spent their hard earned money to upgrade an existing statue and what was done on the 15^th was nothing but replacing the previous Buddha statue desecrated by the LTTE. The LTTE and their sympathisers have misinformed the public and the media, distorting the fact of replacing the damaged statue as the establishment of a new temple.  This fits in well with the terrorist’s campaign to destabilise the East and ethnically cleanse the East of Sinhalese, especially in Trincomalee, goading innocent Tamil civilians into acting as a frenzied mob attacking Sinhalese Buddhists and Muslims alike.

We also understand that you have been informed of a number of Kovils and status of Jesus Christ illegally constructed in and around Trincomalee Town.

You are also aware that the Trincomalee Magistrate on the 17 May 2005, gave an order to the Trincomalee municipality to report to Court, all unauthorized religious structures put up in and around Trincomalee during the past few years.

To assist your investigations we provide herewith the entire list of Hindu Kovils recently constructed in the city (in and around Trincomallee town) without approval and provide you with photographic evidence expecting you to act (see Annexture1).

These illegal structures are located at:

1.       Lower Road – Hanumantha Kovil

2.       Orss Hill Middle Road Junction – Ghanadevi Kovil and Jesus Statue

3.       Governors office Road – in front of Harbour view hotel

4.       Adjacent to the Governor’s First Secretary’s office

5.       Adjoining to the Trincomalee Court - Ghana Devi Kovil

6.       A Kovil next to the Divisional Secretary’s Official residence Main Gate

7.       Three kovils in Manaya welii Gramasewaka Division – Bhadarakali Kovil, Kurumari Amman Kovil,  Ghana Devi Kovil

8.       A Kovil in the Peoples Bank head office premises

9.       A Kovil in the divisional Secretariat premises

10.   Labor office Premises Kovil

11.   Ram Clinic Kovil - Main Road

12.   A Kovil in front of the Senasuru Kovil

13.   Thirikada vil Kovil

14.   Verala Pilleyare Kovil – Kali Amman Kovil

15.   Hiri Kada Wooll Kovil and its 4 sub Kovils

16.   Pulleyar Kovil – at Miru Shuba Sambandharan Street

17.   Pulleyar Kovil – near the Main entrance to the Second Gajaba regiment.

As the Attorney General in Sri Lanka we expect you to be unbiased and be just in your decision-making. You must not let your personal prejudices to intervene in the implementation of the rule of law applicable to all citizens of Sri Lanka. But your hasty action against the replacement Buddhist statue near the bus stand in the Trincomalee Town sends wrong signals to all law abiding Sri Lankans and encourage the racist Eelamists.

If you do not take immediate action even handedly in keeping with the august office of the Attorney General, the people of Sri Lanka will not hesitate to challenge your decision as well as conclude erroneously that you are racially biased.

Thanking you,

Dr D Jayasuriya

President

Society for Peace, Unity and Human Rights in Sri Lanka (SPUR)

Reg No. A 003 07777 M

PO Box 4066

Mulgrave    VIC 3170

Australia

URL of the Media Release is http://www.spur.asn.au/SPUR_20050603_Attorney_General.htm

Unauthorized Hindu Kovils in Trincomalee