Christmas Day Murder in the Cathedral
By Dr. Devanesan Nesiah
We claim to be a deeply religious people, with four great world religions
co-existing. It is true that Viharas, Temples, Mosques and Churches are
often sited close to each other and worship goes on without friction. Unlike
in many other countries in South and South East Asia and elsewhere,
inter-religious riots are infrequent, of modest scale and localised, and
quickly brought under control. In a crisis such as an ethnic riot or a
sudden displacement in the wake of a natural disaster, those affected
instinctively gravitate to places of worship, whether of their own religion or
that of another, expecting and receiving protection and relief assistance.
In this context, some recent developments are deeply disturbing.
The killing of the popular MP for Batticaloa, Joseph Pararajasingham,
within St. Mary’s Cathedral, even as the Bishop of Batticaloa was
celebrating Christmas Mass, was particularly depraved. The motive may
have been political, but the timing and venue reveal a level of callousness
that would have been unthinkable till recent years. The killing of
worshippers in the Grand Mosque at Akkaraipattu on November 18, 2005
is equally deplorable. Again, the motive may have been political, but the
timing and venue indicate a similar level of callousness. So too, earlier
acts of violence involving the desecration of Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim and
Christian holy places in recent years.
It is not sought to attribute religious motives to such acts of terrorism.
Indeed these must be seen in the context of the ongoing political violence
of which they appear to be particularly obnoxious manifestations, and the
ultimate remedy lies in addressing the political roots of the problem. But
finding political solutions may take a long time- years if not decades. In
the meantime atrocities such as those referred to above, and the ongoing
train of other political violence that appears to involve, at the very least,
the state and the LTTE, may trigger a further escalation of the conflict
that could inexorably lead to resumption of the civil war. We need a strong
and effective institutional mechanism to promptly investigate each act of
political terrorism (state, LTTE and other) and, wherever possible, assign
responsibility or even likely responsibility on the strength of the available
evidence.
The functioning of the proposed institution will be unavoidably
controversial. It is therefore essential that the structure and composition,
and also powers and mandate, be such as to enable it to act quickly and
effectively and, most important, with national and international credibility.
Weakness in monitoring is a defect in the ceasefire agreement, which
needs to be remedied quickly.
The proposed institution, powers and mandate need the approval of
theState, the LTTE and other stakeholders. Pending such arrangements,
which may unavoidably take some time, a Commission acceptable to the
State, the LTTE and the Muslim Peace Secretariat could be immediately
appointed to investigate and report within a very short time frame on the
Christmas day murder at St. Mary’s Cathedral, the killings of 18 November
at Akkaraipattu Grand Mosque, and the recent killing and alleged rape of
the woman whose body was found in a well at Punguduthivu.
If State, LTTE and Muslim Peace Secretariat approval are not
forthcoming, civil society could launch such an investigation. Time is of
the essence.
Dr. Devanesan Nesiah, former GA of Jaffna is presently
an Academic with The Centre for Policy Alternatives
[Courtesy: Daily Mirror]
