PRESIDENT SAYS SHE NEEDS TO FIND WAY TO STOP

C O N F I D E N T I A L COLOMBO 001229

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/15/2020
TAGS: PGOV KIRF PHUM CE
SUBJECT: PRESIDENT SAYS SHE NEEDS TO FIND WAY TO STOP
ANTI-CONVERSION BILL

REF: COLOMBO 1169

Classified By: Amb. J. Lunstead for Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) SUMMARY: In a conversation with the Ambassador,
President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga expressed her
surprise at the gazetting of a Government drafted
anti-conversion bill and indicated she would try to find a
way to stop the bill from moving forward. In response to the
bill's gazetting on June 24 (Reftel),the Catholic Archbishop
of Colombo told the Ambassador that the Catholic Church is
preparing to file a case in the Supreme Court as soon as the
bill is officially introduced in Parliament. END SUMMARY.


2. (C) At a farewell dinner for the Netherlands Ambassador
hosted by President Kumaratunga, Ambassador Lunstead asked
President Kumaratunga for her reaction to the June 24
gazetting of the government's anti-conversion bill. With an
annoyed look on her face, President Kumaratunga said:
"Ratnasiri told me he would not move ahead with the bill, and
then he did it anyway. I will have to find a way to kill it."
(Note: Ratnasiri Wickremanayake is the Minister of Buddhist
Affairs, the Ministry in the Government that drafted the
anti-Conversion bill. End Note.) Ambassador asked how the
President could do that, and she replied that she did not
know, but would have to find a way.


3. (SBU) In a conversation on a different occasion, Catholic
Archbishop of Colombo told the Ambassador that the Catholic
Church was readying its legal team to file a case in the
Supreme Court as soon as the bill was officially introduced
in Parliament. (Note: In the Sri Lankan system, the Supreme
Court rules on the constitutionality of a bill when it is
introduced into Parliament, not after it becomes law. End
Note.)


4. (C) COMMENT: As unlikely as it seems, the President's
comments seem to confirm our earlier suspicion that the
Buddhist Affairs Minister has taken this action on his own,
and apparently in direct contravention of what he had
promised the President. END COMMENT.
LUNSTEAD