Nominations
for the local government elections in the Madakalapuwa district
Organisation for the Defence
of Sinhalé
P.O.Box 717, London W5 3EY, UK Tel: +44 (0) 208 -998 3024
H. E Mahinda Rajapaksa
President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
Presidential Secretariat
Colombo 1
Sinhalé
Your Excellency
We wish to express to Your Excellency the admiration of the Sinhala
Nation for your courage and leadership,and our gratitude and fullest
support for your campaign to eradicate the Tamil terrorism which has
caused the deaths of more than 75,000 people.
It has been reported that the Government has called for nominations
between 18 – 25th January 2008 for local government elections in
the Madakalapuwa district.
But while the Tamils and the Muslims who were displaced during the
past twenty-five years of the Tamil terrorism have already been re-settled
by the Government, the 193,000 Sinhalas who were driven out during that
period from the Eastern Province have not been re-settled. Nor have
other Sinhalas been settled there to compensate for those who were murdered
by the terrorists.
This has caused serious concern:
a. It has produced a grave imbalance between the communities in the
province;
b. If elections are held in the current context, only Tamils and Muslims
will get elected;
c. As a result, these new Muslim-dominated, or Tamil-dominated, local
government councils could implement regulations and procedures which
could prevent, or seriously hamper, the return of Sinhalas to the province
in the future, and to restrict their movements and activities.
d. This would establish Tamil and Muslim racialist and apartheid areas
(‘eelams’ in all but name) which could become breeding grounds
for Tamil and Muslim extremism and terrorism, and create no-go areas
for the Sinhalas.
e. This will give a big boost to the continuing process of the destruction
by Muslims of Buddhist temples, the seizure of temple and crown lands
and the eradication of the ancient cultural artifacts which highlight
the glorious history of our civilisation;
f. Any of the above would also constitute gross violations of the Human
Rights of the Sinhalas and also violate a number of sections of the
Constitution of the Republic.
g. Above all, it would be a gross insult to all those tens of thousands
of Sinhalassoldiers who sacrificed their lives and limbs to protect
and preserve the unity and integrity of our country.
In view of the above, we earnestly request Your Excellency to defer
the holding of elections until the re-settlement of the Sinhalas is
completed. This re-settlement must also include (i) Land grants to the
families of Sinhala soldiers who sacrificed their lives and limbs to
defend the country; and (ii) Land grants all along the coastline of
the Northern and Eastern Provinces to currently serving servicemen to
prevent infiltration and arms smuggling by terrorists.
Yours sincerely
The Sinhela Centre – Wimal Ediriwira
Sri Lanka Association of Britain – Anoma de Silva
NMAT (UK) – Mrs S de Silva
Sihala Urumaya / JHU (UK) – Dr M B Ranatunga
Sinhalé Foundation – Kamal Rajapakse
Expatriate Hela Team – Anura Seneviratne
Sri Lanka Association South East (UK) – R A Wimalasekera
Buddhist Cultural Group - Tilak Ellepola
Sinhala Solidarity Movement - Ajith Silva
Sinhala Bala Mandalaya - Gamini Keerthichandra
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