SRI LANKA: ANTI-CONVERSION BILL MIRED IN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 COLOMBO 000906 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/31/2016 TAGS: PGOV PHUM KIRF CE SUBJECT: SRI LANKA: ANTI-CONVERSION BILL MIRED IN COMMITTEE, NO INCREASE IN CHURCH ATTACKS REF: COLOMBO 635 Classified By: CDA JAMES F. ENTWISTLE FOR REASONS 1.4(b) and (d) ¶1. (SBU) Summary: The parliamentary select committee to discuss the Buddhist monk-based Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU)-sponsored bill proposing to outlaw "unethical conversions" began hearing testimony in May (Ref A). According to one member of parliament (MP) serving on the committee, the group is "leaning" toward forming an inter-faith council as an alternative to passing the legislation. In the meantime, some evangelical groups have raised the profile of attacks on churches and congregants; while some such attacks have occurred, Post finds no overall increase in the trend of such assaults. End summary. -------------- -- ANTI-CONVERSION LEGISLATION MIRED IN COMMITTEE -------------- -- ¶2. (C) In August 2004 the Buddhist monk-based Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) introduced a bill proposing to outlaw "unethical" conversions, but the Supreme Court ruled that the bill needed several amendments in order to bring it in line with the Constitution. The bill languished for eighteen months, until the Speaker of Parliament finally appointed a Parliamentary Select Committee to discuss the bill (Ref A). In May 2006, the committee began hearing testimony about the bill from religious leaders and other stakeholders. In a May 23 meeting, Dinesh Gunawardena, Minister for Urban Development and a member of the Select Committee, told poloff that he expects the hearing process to "drag on" for some time. Most committee members agree that forcible conversion is wrong, he reported; the problem arises in the varying interpretations applied to "forcible." ¶3. (C) Observing that trying to legislate matters of conscience like religious onversion would likely prove ineffective anyway, unawardena said that the committee is "leaning" oward setting up an inter-religious council to hndle complaints of forcible conversion instead. The JHU is likely to try to block these efforts, he predicted, because for the Buddhist party the anti-conversion bill is "a prestige issue." ¶4. (C) In a separate meeting with poloff May 25, MP Joseph Michael Perera, another member of the Select Committee, said he was personally opposed to the bill. As a Christian, he said, he felt the right to proselytize was part of his freedom of religion. He noted that the Bishop of Chillaw, speaking on behalf of the Bishops' committee, testified before the select committee and suggested an inter-faith council as an alternative to the anti-conversion legislation, an idea Perera supports. Perera said a number of the people testifying before the committee represent Christian groups. ¶5. (C) Perera added that the committee would have to amend the bill to bring it in line with the Supreme Court's recommendations, which, according to him, would leave any final version of the bill devoid of substance and retaining "only its title." He assessed the JHU might be placated if even the shell of a bill were passed; the JHU would consider it a public relations victory, Perera said. -------------- SOME CHURCH ATTACKS, BUT NO UPSWING IN TREND -------------- ¶6. (SBU) In periodic press releases, the National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka (NCEASL) notes instances of attacks on churches, religious leaders, and congregants. In a May 31 COLOMBO 00000906 002 OF 002 phone conversation with pol FSN, NCEASL representative Godfrey Yogarajah alleged that 115 such attacks have taken place since June 2005. However, NCEASL has only published reports of around 40 incidents, approximately 15 of which the Embassy has been able to confirm. ¶7. (U) In one recent confirmed incident,on April 23, a Methodist church in Pilyandala, south-east of Colombo, re-opened for the first time since 2003, when threats from Buddhist monks caused the church to close. In a May 31 phone conversation, the priest told pol FSN that on the day of the re-opening, the same group of monks led a mob who let air out of congregants' tires, pushed over motor cycles in the parking lot, damaging vehicles, and smashed the priest's windshield. The priest said he informed the police, and on April 24 the local magistrate ruled that the church has a right to hold services. Nevertheless, according to the priest, unruly groups of people are threatening congregants and burning tires on the road to the church. A court hearing is scheduled for June 16. -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶8. (SBU) As reported in Ref A, the anti- conversion bill stands little chance of passage. Two committee members with whom we spoke assessed that it is more likely an inter-faith council will emerge. As far as the April 23 church attack in Pilyandala, while obviously distressing, it does not mark an overall upswing in attacks. Indeed, the scheduled hearing indicates that local authorities are trying to address the problem through the court system. ENTWISTLE