The Anglican Journal Dec. 2003 of the Anglican Church of Canada reports that Bishop Frank Marcus Fernando, President, RC Bishops' National Commission on Catechetics and Anglican Bishop Kumara Illangasinghe, as Chairman, National Christian Council of Sri Lanka, have both expressed serious concern over violence against church targets.

According to this article, an attempt has been made to make the primary cause of the present crisis to be the recent Supreme Court Determinations on 3 Bills for Parliamentary incorporation of their respective associations. This is not true. The Buddhist public have been agitating for legislation to make unethical conversions illegal for the past five years or so.

The International Conference on the Buddha Sasana held in January 2003 unanimously recognised this as a serious threat to all Buddhist countries and recommended legislation to be introduced against unethical conversions. The Presidential Commission on the Buddha Sasana too recommended the introduction of such legislation and a law to upgrade and make practical the existing law on construction of places of worship.

Buddha Sasana Minister Lokubandara stood on every platform and rooftop and trumpeted the need for an anti-conversion law. In March 2003, he promised 12 leading Buddhist organisations that he will soon introduce an anti conversion Bill. But Mr. Lokubandara who is also Minister of Justice, suddenly changed his tune after the last July 2003 SC Determination which strengthened the case for such a law, and stated that in view of this Determination, a law is not necessary. Even a Year-3 law student will understand that the SC Determination is not an alternative to such a law.

The recent spate of violence in my view is the sharp reaction of hapless persons dedicated to protect Buddhism, to the inaction by the Government to honour its inalienable duty towards the Buddha Sasana and its attitude of turning a blind eye to Christian groups and NGOs who are fast destroying religious harmony and the culture and Buddhist fabric of this country.

This terrorism which evidently has links to the LTTE terrorism, will undoubtedly lead to a situation which is much worse than the latter and which none of us would like to face, unless the Gover nment intervenes effectively even at this stage.

We would like to ask the Christian Council whether they are aware of the number of churches and prayer centres (which with time will be turned into full blown churches) established since, say 1985. If not, it is time they obtain these figures and ascertain how many of them fall within their own criteria for determining the need for a church.

Secondly can they truthfully say how many of them have been constructed and established in conformity with the following existing laws.

1. Sec. 5 of the Housing and Town Improvement Ordinance which states that any building construction activity shall receive the approval of the relevant local authority, that is the Municipality or Urban Council or Pradeshiya Sabha.

2. Sec. 16, Chapter 638 of the Legislative Enactments 1980 which requires a licence from the head of State to construct a place of worship, which may be given only if it is to be establish 'in proper situations'.

3. If approval of the local authority has been obtained, has such local authority complied with Sec. 7 of the Housing Ordinance which debars the authority to give approval if it conflicts with any other enactment, which in this case is the one referred to in item 2 above.

4. Where residences and commercial premises are being used as church/prayer centre within UDA areas, has approval been obtained in terms of Sec. 8J of the UDA Law No. 41 of 1978 as amended.

A church or centre established in breach of one or more of the above requirements is illegal and should not in the first place be standing as a target for attack. Therefore the Christian Council should look inwards to ascertain whether they are not the first offenders in this entire game.

The relevant local authority or the UDA has the ultimate right to demolish a structure that does not conform to the law. Two wrongs do not make a right and a frustrated public has no legal right to intervene to carry out the duties of inactive duly constituted authorities, a phenomenon that is becoming common in all spheres of activity. However in this instance, the Christian Council and its members who have set up churches illegally must take their share of the blame for this present situation and take drastic corrective action instead of pretending innocence and claiming rights to worship in such illegal churches.

GAMINI PERERA - President, SUCCESS Colombo