An Appeal to the Mahanayake of the Malwatte Chapter Most Venerable Tibbutuwawe Sri Siddhartha Sumangala Thero

Background
The World Alliance for Peace in Sri Lanka (WAPS) is alarmed by a report given extensive coverage in the Sri Lankan media that the Malwatte Mahanayake Thero plans to visit the North to meet Tamil Tiger terrorists to discuss the terrorist issue. WAPS urges the most Venerable Mahhanayaka Thero to resist efforts made to involve him in a dialogue with the LTTE terrorists at the behest of well-known LTTE sympathisers who were closely associated with the former Government.

The most Venerable Tibbutuwawe Sri Siddhartha Sumangala Thero will do well to stay away from this scheming LTTE sympathisers who are yet to utter any word of substance criticising the LTTE. On the contrary, there is even photographic evidence of the participation in the LTTE activities by some of the prominent politicians who are advocating that the most venerable Maha Nayaka Thero to visit the North. Furthermore, the Venerable Thero risks becoming inadvertently involved in a subversive plot hatched by the treacherous elements to use the good Thero’s compassionate outlook towards all human beings to drive a wedge between the JVP and the PA members of the current alliance Government.

Taking Stock
Before the Venerable Mahanayake Thero proceeds with plans to begin a dialogue with the LTTE terrorists, we wish to request the Thero to consider the following issues so that he will be able to judge for himself the advantages and disadvantages resulting from such a damaging visit.

The LTTE leader and his cadres were directly responsible for massacring pilgrims at the sacred Bo Treee in Anuradhapura, for bombing the Dalada Maligawa and have never expressed their remorse for these crimes.

The LTTE leader and his cadres were responsible for killing Buddhist leaders such as chief incumbent theros at Tantirimale, Padavi Sri Pura and Dimbulagala who were working with the Buddhist community in the East and in the North of Sri Lanka. The LTTE killed scores of innocent novice Buddhist monks in Aranthalawa and to date continue attacking Buddhist clergy and Buddhist places of worship.

The LTTE continues to kill civilians, especially Tamils with impunity in the East and the North as well as in Colombo. Over the last weekend, they executed Thambirasa Sivakumar (EPDP member) in Puttlam and Arumugam Chandramohan, the former EPDP member of the Point Pedro Pradeshiya Saba in Jaffna. - The LTTE continues to violate international covenants against the recruitment of children as child soldiers as detailed by the Save the Children organisation and UNICEF.

The LTTE continues to insist that the North and the East are the homelands of Tamils and continue to promote their plan to create a separate state using terrorist tactics.

They have abducted two innocent villagers for the Trincomalee area and are currently holding them hostage whilst subjecting them torture demanding the release of convicted LTTE criminals. A visit last month by WAPS members to a number of Buddhist temples in the North and the East in Sri Lanka showed us that they were in diabolical trouble. In particular:

Ampitiye Seelawansa Thero is fighting a lone battle safeguarding our Buddhist heritage at Welgamvehera near Kanniya in the Tricomalee district;

There is no monk at the Thiriyaya temple further North of Nilaweli as it is constantly threatened by LTTE terrorists;

Karambankulame Siri Damma Thero at Padavi Sri Pura is struggling to feed the student priests receiving education at the pirivena

Etambagaskada Kalyanatissa Thero is constantly under pressure as he keeps on searching for means to support 65 orphans domiciled in his temple near Vavuniya

Nilpanagoda Chanasumna Thero has no proper roof for his residence at Awaranthulawa, a village close to Vavuniya hit many times by the LTTE terrorists. The list is endless.

Whist this neglect is taking place it has been reported that certain provincial politicians are destroying the Mangala Maha Viharaya in Pothuvil with centuries old artefacts; statues and image houses while officials of the Archaeology Department close their eyes and deny such actions are taking place. None other than the Venerable Ellawala Medhananda Thero has confirmed this. The Nayake Thero said that there was historical evidence to indicate that the temple was the original place of Queen Vihara Mahadevi's landing, and that the systematic destruction of our historical heritage should be of great concern to peace loving citizens of all religious faiths in Sri Lanka.

The Proposed Visit
According to media reports, the Venerable Maha Nayaka Thero's plan is to meet members of the terrorist hierarchy who have declared war against the legally elected Sri Lankan Government and its good people who have embraced democracy. Such a visit will only confer 'legitimacy' to the terrorist leader and his murderous organisation, who have killed thousands of Sri Lankans including a large number of Buddhist priests over the last 10 years.

We understand the Thero’s feelings of compassion and the extension of loving kindness to all human beings, including those that have been seduced by terrorism. Although driven with noble intentions, the thero’s visit to meet the Tamil Tiger terrorist leaders will further strengthen the LTTE, establish legitimacy and contribute towards whitewashing their atrocious human rights record with only LTTE’s rhetorical commitment to peace.

Way Forward
In keeping with the august position held, if the Thero plans to speak to the Tamil tiger terrorists from a high moral ground, we request the Thero to:

Consult with other national minded, patriotic leading Buddhist Nayaka Theros,

Develop an agreed position on the terrorist problem and plan an engagement strategy based on individual accountability and reciprocal action to protect Sinhala Buddhist interests

Assist key Buddhist temples such as Madukanda, Thiriyaya and Welgamvehera etc in the East and the North on the verge of devastation by LTTE terror

Take immediate action to catalogue and protect historical archaeological sites in the North and East of Sri Lanka

Desist any attempt to involve the Malawatte Chapter for discussions with the Tamil Tiger terrorists as it will only result in a public relations exercise that will greatly benefit the terrorists to further their divisive, fascist, racist plans. Such a plan will irrecoverably harm the unity of the Sinhala Buddhist laity as well as the respected and venerated clergy. We would most respectfully state that a hastily arranged visit by the Mahanayaka thero to Kilinochchi at the behest of terrorist sympathisers would generate a perception amongst the national and international community that the Nayaka Thero of the Malwatte Chapter has officially recognised the LTTE as the undisputed representative of Tamils from the North and East. This will contribute to denigrating the immense respect commanded by the Venerable Thero irrecoverably damaging his position as the Mahanayaka and for the first time in history, raise questions about the relevance of the Malwatte chapter in contemporary Sri Lanka.

We appeal to the most Venerable Tibbutuwawe Sri Siddhartha Sumangala Thero to cancel his plan (if he had any) of visiting Kilinochchi to meet with LTTE terrorists. We urge the Thero to prove leadership and adopt the strategic approach proposed by WAPS to engage the terrorists, as the Venerable Thero’s primal responsibility is to protect the Buddha Sasana in Sri Lanka and lead the Malwatte Chapter.

May the Triple Gem guide the Thero in his attempts to usher in a period of much needed and universally desired peace in Sri Lanka.

Dr. D. Jayasuriya
President-Society for Peace, Unity and Human Rights of Sri Lanka (SPUR) Victoria
For World Alliance for Peace in Sri Lanka (WAPS)

Signed:

President - Veera Prakaramabahu Foundation- NSW
President - Sri Lanka United National Association of Canada
President - Society for Peace, Unity and Human Rights of Sri Lanka (SPUR) NSW
President - Society for Peace, Unity and Human Rights of Sri Lanka (WASPUR) WA
President - Sri Lankans Against Terrorism- NSW
President - Sinhala Cultural and Community Services F. Vic
President - Apey Shakthi- New Zealand
Coordinator - Hela Muthu Ketaya, New Zealand
President - Canadian Association for United Sri Lanka-Canada
President - Sri Lankan United National Association-Canada
President - Sinhala Centre- U.K
President - The International Campaign for the Liberation of the Sinhala Nation- U.K
President - Sinhala Association of Sri Lankans in the U.K
President - New York Society of United Sri Lankans-U.S.A
President - United Sinhalese Association in Italy- Rome.
President - Pacific Alliance for Peace in Sri Lanka, Vic (National Office), Australia
President - Alliance Against Tamil Domination, UK

(World Alliance for Peace in Sri Lanka)
PO Box 4066, Mulgrave VIC 3170, Australia
Phone: +61 3 9548 0276 Fax: +61 3 9584 0276
Email: ranjiths@spur.asn.au
Website: http://www.spur.asn.au

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Wednesday, September 22, 2004

An Appeal to the Mahanayake of the Malwatte Chapter Most Venerable Tibbutuwawe Sri Siddhartha Sumangala Thero

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