Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08COLOMBO1094
2008-12-02 12:20:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Colombo
Cable title:
SRI LANKA: ANTI-CONVERSION BILL STALLED IN
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C O N F I D E N T I A L COLOMBO 001094
SIPDIS
DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/INS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/07/2018
TAGS: KIRF PHUM CE
SUBJECT: SRI LANKA: ANTI-CONVERSION BILL STALLED IN
COMMITTEE
Classified By: Charge d' Affaires James R. Moore Reasons: 1.4(b,d).
C O N F I D E N T I A L COLOMBO 001094
SIPDIS
DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/INS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/07/2018
TAGS: KIRF PHUM CE
SUBJECT: SRI LANKA: ANTI-CONVERSION BILL STALLED IN
COMMITTEE
Classified By: Charge d' Affaires James R. Moore Reasons: 1.4(b,d).
1. (C) After a meeting at the Peace Secretariat (SCOPP) on
December 1, Secretary to the Ministry of Human Rights and
Disaster Management Rajiva Wijesinghe reported to Charge that
the anti-conversion bill currently being debated in
Parliament is likely to remain in a standing committee and
not come up for a vote. The "Prohibition of Conversions
through Unethical Means" bill, first introduced by the
Buddhist nationalist JHU party in 2004, would, if passed,
provide the government a means to outlaw conversions and
harass Christian denominations in the country. Wijesinghe's
update to the Charge came after an exchange of letters
between the Ambassador and the Secretary in which the
Ambassador alerted Wijesinghe to U.S. concerns about the bill
calling it "incompatible with the principles of democracy."
Subsequently PolChief followed up with an additional letter
to Wijesinghe and a working level contact in the MFA.
Religious congregations have reported to us that there have
been isolated incidents of local authorities attempting to
implement the law even though it has not been passed in
Parliament.
2. (C) COMMENT: The bill, a pet project of the
government-aligned JHU party, has been a concern for
religious freedom groups in the country and the Embassy for a
number of years. Despite isolated news reports earlier this
year, the government appears to have no real interest in
passing the legislation. Instead, it uses the bill as a tool
to keep the JHU within its coalition by hinting that
enactment might be possible in the future. Nayomini
Weerasooriya, the coordinator of the National Christian
Fellowship in Sri Lanka and a trusted source on religious
freedom issues, told PolFSN that President Rajapaksa had told
the JHU that it was neither the time nor the place for the
bill to come up for a vote. Weerasooriya characterized the
bill as "sitting in a closet." Post will monitor progress
of the bill and continue to raise our objections to its
language with the government if it appears Wijesinghe and
Weerasoorita are wrong and the bill has not stalled. End
Comment
Moore
SIPDIS
DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/INS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/07/2018
TAGS: KIRF PHUM CE
SUBJECT: SRI LANKA: ANTI-CONVERSION BILL STALLED IN
COMMITTEE
Classified By: Charge d' Affaires James R. Moore Reasons: 1.4(b,d).
1. (C) After a meeting at the Peace Secretariat (SCOPP) on
December 1, Secretary to the Ministry of Human Rights and
Disaster Management Rajiva Wijesinghe reported to Charge that
the anti-conversion bill currently being debated in
Parliament is likely to remain in a standing committee and
not come up for a vote. The "Prohibition of Conversions
through Unethical Means" bill, first introduced by the
Buddhist nationalist JHU party in 2004, would, if passed,
provide the government a means to outlaw conversions and
harass Christian denominations in the country. Wijesinghe's
update to the Charge came after an exchange of letters
between the Ambassador and the Secretary in which the
Ambassador alerted Wijesinghe to U.S. concerns about the bill
calling it "incompatible with the principles of democracy."
Subsequently PolChief followed up with an additional letter
to Wijesinghe and a working level contact in the MFA.
Religious congregations have reported to us that there have
been isolated incidents of local authorities attempting to
implement the law even though it has not been passed in
Parliament.
2. (C) COMMENT: The bill, a pet project of the
government-aligned JHU party, has been a concern for
religious freedom groups in the country and the Embassy for a
number of years. Despite isolated news reports earlier this
year, the government appears to have no real interest in
passing the legislation. Instead, it uses the bill as a tool
to keep the JHU within its coalition by hinting that
enactment might be possible in the future. Nayomini
Weerasooriya, the coordinator of the National Christian
Fellowship in Sri Lanka and a trusted source on religious
freedom issues, told PolFSN that President Rajapaksa had told
the JHU that it was neither the time nor the place for the
bill to come up for a vote. Weerasooriya characterized the
bill as "sitting in a closet." Post will monitor progress
of the bill and continue to raise our objections to its
language with the government if it appears Wijesinghe and
Weerasoorita are wrong and the bill has not stalled. End
Comment
Moore