Religious Leaders call for peace

Sunil C. Perera in Colombo
Senior religious leaders from Sri Lanka and a high-level multi-religious delegation of the World Conference of Religions for Peace from six other countries such as Cambodia, Japan, Norway, Pakistan, South Africa and the United States met in Jaffna on December 12-13, for an Inter Religious Summit on Peace in Sri Lanka.
The meeting was organized by the World Conference of Religions for Peace, its Sri Lankan counterpart, the National Conference of Religions for Peace and the National Peace Council, and is one of a series of meetings to support the formation of an inter-religious council that includes the religious leadership from across Sri Lanka. Future meetings are planned in the near future for Kandy and Trincomalee.

The decision to make Jaffna the location of the first meeting was to express solidarity with all those who continue to live in situations of violence and despair due to the ongoing conflict. The National Peace Council wishes to acknowledge the cooperation received from the government, and the Defence Ministry, to fly the international participants and several of the local participants to Jaffna.

As an outcome of their experiences in Jaffna and deliberations at the conference, the participants identified peace building efforts in several important areas. They urged positive action on the part of the international community by the reactivation of the donor co-chairs, and the enhancement of Japan and Norway's facilitative roles, to re-open the path for fresh negotiations between the government and LTTE, and by the provision of increased development assistance to reconstruct the war-torn areas, empower local community groups, rebuild the livelihoods of war-affected people and strengthen the national economy

The religious leaders also expressed their support for all initiatives aimed at bringing the ongoing war to an end through an immediate cessation of hostilities, preparing of political proposals by the government in consultation with all parties, including the Tamil political parties, propagating the need for a power-sharing constitutional framework in which people enjoy the political right to develop their communities, opening of all roads, including the A9 highway to Jaffna, and resettling of all displaced persons, including the Muslim community of the north, with their consent, and improving internal trade and marketing between the north east and south, which will build goodwill between communities and reduce economic pressures.

In addition, they called for an immediate end to the use of claymore mines, artillery firing and bombings that have targeted civilians, forced conscription of children and adults into armed groups, abductions, disappearances, extortions and extra-judicial killings of civilians, harassment of Tamil people through draconian provisions of the law that permit arbitrary arrest and prolonged detention and forced resettlement of Internally Displaced Persons in locations not of their choice.

A declaration containing these recommendations and others was agreed to by the religious leaders who subsequently met with the Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa and also with several political leaders belonging to the government and opposition. The Jaffna Declaration says the ongoing conflict in Sri Lanka continues to lead to destruction and suffering on a large scale that cannot be confined to any one part of the country or to any one ethnic or religious community. Members of the religious clergy too, have paid with their lives, for being close to their people and heeding their call for peace and justice. All of Sri Lanka and all Sri Lankans have paid a very high price in terms of lives lost, economic opportunities foregone and in the weakening of the moral fabric of society.

“During the period of the Summit we experienced first hand the difficulties of travel to and from Jaffna. We saw the massive destruction of infrastructure and housing that occurred in previous phases of fighting, the loss of villages and fertile agricultural lands to High Security Zones, and the fear and insecurity in the lives of the people, especially youth, which is dehumanizing to all those affected. The sound of artillery firing, testimonials of daily killings and disappearances, the very large military presence in the city and the nighttime curfew provides added motivation to our work for peace in Sri Lanka, the religious said.

As religious leaders with extensive experience in peace making in other parts of the world, we urge a renewed search for a non-violent solution to the ongoing conflict. We do not accept that there can be victory through a military solution or that war can bring peace. On the contrary, as religious leaders, we believe that violence begets violence and hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love.

As an outcome of our experiences in Jaffna and our deliberations at the Summit we are committed to focusing our peace building efforts in the following areas:

1. Civilian Protection

We call for an immediate end to the

i) use of claymore mines, artillery firing and bombings that have targeted civilians
ii) forced conscription of children an adults into armed groups
iii) abductions, disappearances, extortions and extra-judicial killings of civilians
iv) harassment of Tamil people through draconian provisions of the law that permit arbitrary arrest and prolonged detention
v) forced resettlement of Internally Displaced Persons in locations not of their choice


2. Peace Promotion

We will support all initiatives aimed at bringing the ongoing war to an end through

i) an immediate cessation of hostilities
ii) preparing of political proposals by the government in consultation with all parties, including the Tamil political parties
iii) propagating the need for a power-sharing constitutional framework in which people enjoy the political right to develop their communities
iv) opening of all roads, including the A9 highway to Jaffna, and resettling of all displaced persons, including the Muslim community of the north, with their consent
v) improving internal trade and marketing between the north east and south, which will build goodwill between communities and reduce economic pressures


3. International Community

We urge positive action on the part of the international community by the

i) reactivation of the donor co-chairs, and the enhancement of Japan and Norway's facilitative roles, to re-open the path for fresh negotiations between the government and LTTE
ii) provision of increased development assistance to reconstruct the war-torn areas, empower local community groups, rebuild the livelihoods of war-affected people and strengthen the national economy


4. Religious Community

We, as religious leaders, pledge to

i) ground ourselves and concientise our communities on the basis of the values of peace, justice, reconciliation, forgiveness and repentance
ii) engage in an awareness creating, observation and monitoring role as a support group in a renewed peace process
iii) take inspiration from the declaration of the Mahanayakes of the Buddhist Sangha in Tokyo in June 2002 to support the peace process and to build a united Sri Lanka for all communities
iv) welcome international religious leaders, especially from countries with a Buddhist tradition, to join hands with religious leaders in Sri Lanka in working for peace
v) request the World Conference of Religions for Peace to facilitate a process by which religious leaders directly meet and lobby with the parties to the conflict.

Despite nearly three decades of loss of innocent lives, agonizing suffering and dehumanizing of society, each of our religions call us in hope to believe that peace is possible. We commit ourselves to work together in hope for healing, justice and peace.
End