Asoka Weerasinghe Kings Grove Crescent . Gloucester . Ontario.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Canada

December 3, 2009

Archbishop Malcolm RanjithƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 
ArchdioceseƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ of Colombo
Colombo, Sri Lanka

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The Most Reverend Sir:

I have just read your comment in yesterdayƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢sƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  ZENIT, The World seen from Rome, which said, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-After the Sri Lankan governmentƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s decision to send refugees home, theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  archbishop of Colombo is warning about the danger of landmines that may greet these displaced persons.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Holy SmokesƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚, I said, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-This Archbishop surely is not being another joker, as what the Bishop John Arnold of the Diocese of Westminster in London and the Bishop John Rawsthorne of Sheffield happened to be last September?ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚

In my letter to Bishop Arnold of Westminster on September 16, 2009, I said:

ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-I have just read a ReuterƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s report which said: ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Bishop John Rawsthorne of Sheffield and Bishop John Arnold of Westminster call for Tamils displaced by civil war to be allowed to return home after visiting camps in Sri Lanka.

Two English Catholic bishops have recently returned from Sri Lanka where they gained a rare insight into life in the post-conflict camps.

Alongside CAFOD, they are calling for the end of forced confinement to nearly 300,000 Tamil survivors of the countryƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s long and bloody conflict and allow them to go home.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚

Sweet Mother of Jesus, please tell me that these two Sons of God are just joking! If they are, then tell them that they are pulling my wrong leg as it is the other which has Christmas jingle bells.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  I donƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t think they really know what they are wishing for.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Do you Bishop Arnold?

No doubt, the people who escorted you two took you all along a safe passage north, not over the mushroom dotted mine fields not knowing whether you two could traverse diligently and elegantly as if you were tip-toeing through tulips, as your lives were too precious to be popped off by the Tamil Tiger planted land mines.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  We are told that there are millions of buried landmines and I believe them.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚

It deems to me that you Roman Catholic Sons of God in white robes with collars starched to heaven want to play games of Christian Roulette with the lives of these Internally Displaced Tamil people as it is a Christian thing to do is to throw around the buzz words ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Human RightsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚, but for GodƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s sake make up your minds, do you want to let these people go to their homes before the terrain has been de-mined, or donƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t you?ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  It doesnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t seem to be a tricky question, is it now Archbishop Malcolm Ranjith?

If you three preach that, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-If the Lord is our Hope, and You shall rejoice in the LordƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚, it is incumbent on you three to see that these IDP Tamils live another day, and not pop their lives with your stupidity letting them walk on land-mines by pressuring the Government of Sri Lanka to let them go before the mine fields are de-mined.

The bottom line is donƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t confuse the Sri Lankan Government who are doing their utmost with limited resources who are making miracles happen, and letƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s not act like a bunch of irresponsible jokers.

Sincerely,

Asoka WeerasingheƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚