SRI LANKA: A/S ROCCA RAISES ANTI-CONVERSION

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 COLOMBO 000787

SIPDIS

STATE FOR SA/INS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/21/2015
TAGS: PHUM KIRF PREL CE
SUBJECT: SRI LANKA: A/S ROCCA RAISES ANTI-CONVERSION
LEGISLATION WITH LEADERSHIP, HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVISTS

REF: COLOMBO 742 AND PREVIOUS

Classified By: Amb. Jeffrey J. Lunstead for reason 1.4 (B, D).

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SUMMARY
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1. (C) In a series of separate discussions on April 20 with
political leaders, government officials and human rights
activists, Assistant Secretary for South Asian Affairs
Christina Rocca and the Ambassador highlighted U.S. concerns
over proposed anti-conversion legislation (reftel). A/S
Rocca warned that passage of the legislation could undermine
Sri Lanka's long-standing reputation for religious tolerance
and affect negatively our cordial bilateral relations.
Government interlocutors assured A/S Rocca and the Ambassador
that the Government was not pushing for passage of the bill.
Other sources said they view the Government's proposed bill
as a short-term political ploy to gain favor with more
conservative elements and were generally skeptical that the
draft bill would pass. Human rights activists cautioned that
President Kumaratunga's game of "political chess" could
backfire by inciting latent communal sentiments. End summary.

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GOVERNMENT ANTI-CONVERSION LEGISLATION:
THE OFFICIAL WORD
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2. (C) In a series of separate discussions on April 20 with
political leaders, government officials and human rights
activists, Assistant Secretary for South Asian Affairs
Christina Rocca and the Ambassador stressed continued U.S.
concern over proposed bills (one drafted by the Government
and one by an opposition Buddhist monk party) aimed at
curbing religious conversions. A/S Rocca and the Ambassador
repeatedly emphasized the potential damage such legislation
could spell for religious tolerance as well as the possible
negative impact on existing cordial bilateral relations.


3. (C) Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse assured A/S Rocca
and the Ambassador that he did not believe the Government of
Sri Lanka (GSL) bill would ever come to a vote in Parliament,
adding that every U.S. official he has met recently has
raised the issue with him. A/S Rocca noted that the
Administration as well as many in Congress were very
concerned about the potential harm the legislation could
inflict on Sri Lanka's history of religious freedom. The PM
admitted the GSL was using its bill for political reasons--to
thwart attempts by Buddhist monk MPs of the Jathika Hela
Urumaya (JHU) to pass similar legislation. He underscored
that the "President was against" the legislation--as if
implying that such a statement should be adequate assurance
that the bill would never see the light of day. The
Ambassador countered that as long as the bill exists--with
the implied support of the GSL and thus the ever-imminent
threat of its introduction into Parliament--people in the
international community and in Sri Lanka will remain
concerned.


4. (C) In a separate meeting, A/S Rocca told Foreign
Secretary H.M.G.S. Palihakkara that passage of the bill

SIPDIS
"would stop people in their tracks," with Congress especially
focused on the issue. The Foreign Secretary tried to
re-assure A/S Rocca and the Ambassador that many steps still
had to be taken before the bill could become law, such as
public notice and review and further judicial review. There
was no unanimity in the government over the bill, Palihakkara
asserted, adding that he shared some of the U.S. reservations
about the bill. "Having said that," he declared "we do have
a problem with unethical conversions" perpetrated by certain
groups. He hinted, however, that the government was working
on arriving at a solution. &The President is very concerned
about this,8 he allowed. He also mentioned that the GSL had
invited the U.N.,s Rapporteur on religious freedom to visit
the island.

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OTHER PARTIES' POINTS OF VIEW
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5. (C) The proposed legislation featured prominently in A/S
Rocca's discussions with leaders of various political parties
as well. Rauff Hakeem, head of the Sri Lanka Muslim
Congress, told A/S Rocca and the Ambassador that his party
would not support the bill, adding that the government has no
right to legislate on matters of religious belief. He also
called on the Ambassador to convince leaders of the Sri Lanka
Freedom Party and the United National Party (the two largest
parties) to refrain from allowing their members to vote their
conscience on the matter because he believed such a
laissez-faire policy would increase the likelihood that the
bill will pass. In a separate discussion, Janatha Vimukthi
Peramuna (JVP) leader Somawansa Amarasinghe stated that his
party had no official stance on the bill. He continued by
adding in a somewhat convoluted manner that &we condemn
bribery in both politics and religion8 (thereby implying a
certain degree of credence in "unethical conversion" charges
leveled against Christian denominations),but concluded by
saying that all religions should peacefully exist in a
secular society under a secular government.

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UNP SEES TSUNAMI CONNECTION
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6. (C) Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremasinghe told A/S
Rocca that his United National Party (UNP) was against
proposed anti-conversion legislation. When the JHU
introduced its bill last year , he said, the UNP had tried to
stop it in committee. The party was blindsided by the GSL
bill, he acknowledged. Wickremasinghe reported that he
believes the government is not committed to the bill;
pursuing it will cause the GSL to lose Christian votes.
However, if the bill were to come up for a vote, the UNP
would have to follow the SLFP in allowing a &free vote,8
making it hard for members to vote against it, he speculated.
Having reviewed the draft, he said, the UNP believes the
GSL bill should go to committee and form the topic of
consultations with religious leaders from all groups to
ensure all opinions are considered and rights are protected.
Discussion of the bill in Parliament could prove so divisive
and jeopardize communal harmony so much, he said, that the
best strategy is to prevent the bill from ever being voted
upon. Wickremasinghe assured the Ambassador that the JHU
bill was not on the agenda (the "standing orders") in
parliament. Rather, it was on the "order book" which, he
assured us, meant nothing. (Note: Per reftel, the JHU
thinks it is on the agenda. End note.)


7. (C) UNP MP Milinda Moragoda tied the latest push toward
anti-conversion legislation to the influx of money for NGOs
engaged in tsunami relief work. Many are suspicious that aid
money is &Christian money for conversion.8 Wickremasinghe
said that there is a belief among some that the U.S. Congress
is funding fundamental Christian churches. A/S Rocca asked
if any of the numerous stories about forced conversions were
real. Moragoda responded that about 90 percent were likely
fabrications, but stressed that many of the Buddhist clergy
believe the stories and vociferously spread them, such as one
rumor that World Vision was putting a Bible in each tent it
provided for the displaced. Ambassador and A/S Rocca
strongly counseled that the ramifications of a successful
anti-conversion bill would have a negative impact on all of
Sri Lanka and could affect aid and other assistance to the
country. Wickremasinghe indicated he understood and agreed
that all international assistance could be jeopardized.

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NGOS: THE THREAT IS REAL
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8. (C) During an April 20 luncheon, human rights activists
underscored to the Ambassador and A/S their concern at both
bills. Nayomini Weerasooriya of the National Evangelical
Alliance (herself a convert from Buddhism) said that the
proposed legislation is part of a continued pattern of
harassment and intimidation of Christians, especially in
rural areas. Public support for such legislation was not
widespread, participants agreed; the furor was perpetrated by
just a handful of zealot monks. That said, an undercurrent
of suspicion/misunderstanding/ignorance of Christian values
helped fuel rumors of forced conversions, Weerasooriya
asserted. She added that she believes President Kumaratunga
herself is personally quite tolerant of ethnic and religious
minorities, but that she is using the GSL bill in a game of
"political chess" to win JHU support. The President may
believe that, once having secured that support, she can
somehow turn off the bill later. If so, Weerasooriya warned,
the President may be miscalculating. Communal sentiments,
she concluded, once riled, are difficult to defuse.

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COMMENT
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9. (C) With the obvious exception of the JHU, no political
party has told us unequivocally it supports anti-conversion
legislation. (In separate discussions, the Tamil National
Alliance has told us firmly it would not support the
legislation. About 30 percent of Tamils are Christian.)
Even the GSL, which drafted one of the current bills,
insists, somewhat schizophrenically, that it is not seeking
its actual passage. That said, for an issue with so few
avowed advocates, the anti-conversion specter has continued
to dog Sri Lankan politics for several years. If the GSL
bill is, as popular wisdom seems to hold, a gambit to win a
handful of JHU votes, it is a dangerously short-sighted game
to play. Sri Lanka has already suffered more than 20 years
of ethnic violence. Creating legislation bound to exacerbate
comparatively mild religious tensions and further split this
already deeply divided society seems exceptionally foolhardy.
We will continue to urge, in the strongest possible terms,
that the GSL work to prevent passage of such legislation.



10. (U) A/S Rocca cleared this cable.




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