Senaka Weeraratna Justice for Animals and Nature

Prime Minister of Sri Lanka.

We remember with appreciativeness your active participation at a meeting held at the Open University premises in January 2020, convened & presided by Dr. Dileepa Witharana – an academic with compassion for the voiceless living beings, with the intention of mapping out a strategy to enact the long-awaited Animal Welfare Bill.

Now that you are on the saddle being the no.2 most powerful person in the Government, we trust that you will do the needful.

A New Animal Welfare Act is long awaited.

Same time we hope you will take immediate steps to stop the decimation of innocent wild animals in their habitats and their homelands by humans who are rapidly encroaching on their territory with guns supplied by the Government to clear the wilderness for growing crops.

Wild animals also have a right to life. A right to co–habit in their territory.

Cattle and other animals which have served the human species must be treated with compassion in their old age even though they are useless from an economic point of view.

Gratitude defines your humanity.

This is the difference between an enlightened civilized society and a primitive society.

Sri Lanka must endeavour to be on the right side of history.

We stand for peaceful co–existence between humans and non-humans.

Pl make that a cardinal policy of your government.

If you do that the world will stand up and give you a standing ovation for your moral leadership.

A quality sadly lacking among leaders in Sri Lanka until now.

The Indian Constitution recognizes the sanctity of animal life and lays down the protection and treatment of animals with dignity as a fundamental duty of its citizens.

Article 51A(g) of the Indian Constitution states that Indian citizens have a duty to “have compassion for living creatures”:

• Article 51A(g): “It shall be the duty of every citizen of India to protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers, and wildlife and to have compassion for living creatures”.

These provisions should also be in the Constitution of Sri Lanka.

As you embark upon your new responsibilities, we look forward to you and the Government to work for the cause of welfare of the voiceless animals and promotion of animal protection education in schools.

Below picture was taken at a meeting held at the Open University in January 2020.

Left to right –

Senaka Weeraratna (Justice for Animals and Nature), Dr. Harini Amarasuriya (Senior Lecturer, Open University), unknown, Convenor of the meeting – Dr. Dileepa Witharana (Senior lecturer, Dept. of Mathematics and Philosophy of Engineering, Open University), unknown, Dominic Jaliya Perera (Justice for Animals and Nature).

Many other animal welfare activists were

present at this meeting.

Justice for Animals and Nature