Kematian Biksu Anti-Kristenisasi Picu Kemarahan Terhadap Gereja

umat katolik dan kristen selalu mengatakan umat lain macam-macam, premanisme, cinta kasih palsu, dan sebagainya. mereka tidak mencari tau sumber/sebab (api) tapi mereka hanya melihat akibat (asap) yang terjadi, dimana terlihat yang dirugikan adalah pihak nasrani, yaitu pengrusakan rumah Tuhan. Di indonesia terjadi pengrusakan, pembakaran bahkan pengebooman rumah tuhan, dikarenakan beberapa sebab seperti penistaan agama yg dilakukan oleh seorang pendeta terhadap islam, menjelek2kan agama lain/menyetan-nyetankan umat agama lain, bahkan ada informasi yg bocor dr kalangan misionaris indonesia (pendeta kristen) bahwa mereka harus bisa mengkristenkan seluruh manusia di indonesia sampai tahun 2020, byk umat muslim yg dikonversi jd anggota kristen dengan cara yg tidak etis.

Tapi yang dilakukan orang kristen/katholik terkesan mulia, seakan mereka lah manusia tersuci n penuh kasih yg sungguh kasih-an, mereka berdoa kepada yesus untuk mengampuni para preman/penjahat yg merusak gereja tanpa mikir sebab permasalahan kenapa sampai gereja di rusak ato kenapa ga anggap saja itu adalah bagian dr rencana Tuhan yg terindah untuk umat kristen/katholik.

Di Sri Lanka yang hampir 70 persen penduduknya beragama Buddha, mengalami banyak kekerasan yang berhubungan dengan agama. Menurut apa yang tertulis di semua surat kabar, Natal adalah saat untuk kedamaian, rekonsiliasi, dan rahmat, yang kesemuanya ada dalam nama Tuhan Yang Maha Penyayang. Namun, telah kita lihat bahwa kata-kata tersebut sangatlah bertentangan dengan gambaran "Yang Maha Kuasa" yang dipraktekkan oleh para pengikut-Nya, yaitu para Pendeta atau Pastor yang ada disini. Mereka menipu orang-orang awam, menyuap dan membayarnya untuk menghancurkan kuil Buddha, serta melakukan kekerasan dan pembunuhan terhadap para biksu Budha, yang para biksu Budha ini dianggap sebagai ancaman bagi aktifitas konversi mereka yang tidak beretika dan tercurigai di pedesaan yang dihuni oleh orang Buddhis atau Hindu.

Pada tanggal 12 Desember 2003 telah terjadi kematian seorang biksu yang mengutuk dugaan "kristenisasi tak etis" terhadap umat Buddha bernama Ven. Gangodawila Soma Thera yang misterius, yang dibawa ke Rusia untuk acara pemberian gelar doktor ke biksu Mulia tersebut. Selang beberapa minggu, Yang Mulia Gangodawila Soma Thero dikremasi pada 24 Desember. Hasil post-mortem mengidentifikasi bahwa biksu asal Sri Lanka itu meninggal 12 Desember karena serangan jantung. Namun sejumlah rumor yang beredar mengatakan bahwa umat Kristen terlibat dalam kematiannya. Sampai saat ini, misteri di balik kematiannya masih harus diselesaikan. Akibatnya, lebih dari 20 gereja Katolik dan Protestan diserang di wilayah Kolombo.

Rancangan undang-undang (RUU) anti-konversi (anti-perpindahan agama) kemudian diajukan ke Parlemen Sri Lanka. Parlemen mengadakan pertemuan pada 20 Juli 2004. RUU Larangan Konversi Paksa, yang diusulkan seorang anggota Parlemen dari Jathika Hela Urumaya (partai para biksu Buddha) itu dipublikasikan dalam jurnal resmi, 31 Mei 2004. Publikasi ini menimbulkan perdebatan dalam parlemen. Menteri Sasana (agama) Buddha Ratnasiri Wickremanayake mengatakan kepada media 1 Juni bahwa RUU itu dirancang mengingat adanya konversi massal umat Buddha ke agama-agama lain yang terjadi beberapa abad lalu di negara-negara lain di Asia.

RUU itu mengusulkan hukuman penjara hingga lima tahun dan denda kurang dari 150.000 rupee (sekitar US$1,500) untuk orang yang kedapatan bersalah karena membuat orang lain pindah agama melalui paksaan, iming-iming atau cara-cara curang. Namun hukuman meningkat menjadi maksimum tujuh tahun penjara dan denda hingga 500.000 rupee untuk tindakan konversi terhadap anak kecil, perempuan, penerima program kesejahteraan pemerintah, narapidana, orang cacat fisik atau mental, anggota polisi, pelajar, orang-orang di rumah sakit atau kamp pengungsi, atau lainnya seperti ditetapkan oleh menteri agama Buddha. RUU yang diajukan itu juga menetapkan bahwa siapa pun yang mengubah agamanya, termasuk fasilitator konversi, hendaknya melapor kepada seorang pejabat pemerintah setempat yang telah ditunjuk. Jika tidak, ia bisa dihukum penjara hingga lima tahun dan dikenai denda kurang dari 150.000 rupee.

Tak ingin misi konversinya gagal, RUU tersebut segera ditentang orang-orang Gereja. Konferensi Waligereja Sri Lanka memberi peringatan bahwa menjadikan konversi tak etis itu ilegal tidak akan menyelesaikan masalah apa pun, tapi justru memecah-belah masyarakat. Sebuah pernyataan konferensi waligereja mengatakan bahwa proses pengadilan bersifat menentang dan hasilnya mungkin hanya menambah ketegangan antaragama. Seorang Kristen lainnya yang minta tidak disebutkan namanya mengatakan umat Kristen khawatir bahwa kaum ekstremis Buddha akan mengkategorikan siapa pun yang menentang undang-undang ini sebagai seorang anti-Buddha dan mengklaim orang itu mendukung kaum fundamentalis Kristen. Oleh sebab itu, seseorang hanya bisa mencari perlindungan dalam situasi ini dengan memohon bantuan kepada berbagai instrumen dan komite hak asasi manusia internasional.

RUU anti-konversi sebetulnya sudah muncul sejak akhir tahun 2003. Namun, prakarsa pemerintah untuk merancang sebuah undang-undang tentang "konversi tak etis" melemah ketika Presiden Chandrika Kumaratunga membubarkan Parlemen pada bulan Februari. Namun bangkit kembali ketika pemilihan umum digelar pada tanggal 2 April 2004 dan Parlemen Baru dimulai 22 April 2004. Parlemen itu beranggotakan sembilan biksu dari Jathika Hela Urumaya.

http://www.christianpost.co.id/dunia/20040630/310/ruu-anti-konversi-siap-diajukan-ke-parlamen-bulan-juli/
http://dhammacitta.org/forum/index.php?topic=20261

ada lagi nih


masih di Sri Lanka, terlihat sebuah demonstrasi anarkis dari para anggota Sangha bersama dengan anggota2 masyarakat dalam menyegel bangunan gereja milik Tamil Kristen. Hal ini disebabkan oleh seorang pria yg gambarnya dibawa keliling adalah "Terduga sebagai pelaku" yang dianggap telah menyebabkan 2 gadis terluka parah sewaktu gadis ini mengunjungi "Maha Devi Park". pria ini adalah suku Tamil dan 2 gadis ini adalah Sinhala. selanjutnya 2 gadis ini ke tempat "Christian society" yang minta bantuan utk ditolong, namun malah mengakibatkan meninggal, sehingga akhirnya tempat tersebut diserang karena kebetulan pria ini adalah umat dari perkumpulan itu.

Mereka menipu orang-orang awam, menyuap dan membayarnya untuk menghancurkan kuil Buddha, serta melakukan kekerasan dan pembunuhan terhadap para biksu Budha, yang para biksu Budha ini dianggap sebagai ancaman bagi aktifitas konversi mereka yang tidak beretika dan tercurigai di pedesaan yang dihuni oleh orang Buddhis atau Hindu.

mbok dikasih link.. kuil mana yg dihancurkan orang bayaran pendeta???

Pada tanggal 12 Desember 2003 telah terjadi kematian seorang biksu yang mengutuk dugaan "kristenisasi tak etis" terhadap umat Buddha bernama Ven. Gangodawila Soma Thera yang misterius, yang dibawa ke Rusia untuk acara pemberian gelar doktor ke biksu Mulia tersebut. Selang beberapa minggu, Yang Mulia Gangodawila Soma Thero dikremasi pada 24 Desember. Hasil post-mortem mengidentifikasi bahwa biksu asal Sri Lanka itu meninggal 12 Desember karena serangan jantung. Namun sejumlah rumor yang beredar mengatakan bahwa umat Kristen terlibat dalam kematiannya. Sampai saat ini, misteri di balik kematiannya masih harus diselesaikan. Akibatnya, lebih dari 20 gereja Katolik dan Protestan diserang di wilayah Kolombo.

di bawa ke rusia! rusia itu bekas komunis. dan atheis banyakan.. mosok mereka mau bantu orang Kristen bunuh bisksu? apalagi itu hanya rumor. dan rumor itu telah membuat gereja puluhan rusak!

kenapa ya muslin seneng berita ga jelas kayak gini??

mau adu domba atau emang otak di dengkul?

ini lagi..

Hal ini disebabkan oleh seorang pria yg gambarnya dibawa keliling adalah "Terduga sebagai pelaku" yang dianggap telah menyebabkan 2 gadis terluka parah sewaktu gadis ini mengunjungi "Maha Devi Park".

dianggap! artinya belum tentu bahkan mungkin ga benar. yah suku tamil kan emang di buru.. kristen lagi yang jadi korban..

apa kristen membalas????

On 23rd December 2006, we heard of the most gruesome and mysterious death of Ven. Rathmalane Seelawanse Thero of Sri Rathanasara Buddhist Centre, Thanamalwila in the Hambantota District. Unlike in the death of Ven. Gangodawila Soma Thero, in the case of Ven. Seelawanse Thero the perpetrators are well known and they have been very active in plotting the destruction of this feerless monk who left no stones unturned to expose the duplicity of Pastor Ashley Samarasinghe who has been actively buying over the Principal of the village school; the police officers of the area and paying of noted thugs and even an individual employed in the army to harass, plot and plan; expedite operations; pressurize villagers into making false allegations against this monk; file court cases against him to insult and humiliate him- you name it, they have resorted to every possible method to destroy the reputation of the monk. For the last 2 years especially, Ven. Seelawanse Thero has been like a “hounded animal” constantly under surveillance, constantly under threat to his life, one attempt to throw a bomb into his temple and one attempt to shoot him at night have all been plotted. The principal of the Angunakolawewa Junior School Mr. E.K. Piyasena and A.K. Priyantha an army officer based in Jaffna have been strong conspirators together with Pastor Ashley Samarasinghe. The highly decomposed body of Ven. Seelawanse Thero with head injuries and 3 wounds in the chest supposedly from gunshots and bruised back, was transferred to the Hambantota Hospital 23rd December 2006 and a post-mortem was held by the responsible medical officer on 24th December 2006 has given the ruling of “homicide” as the cause of death. Although the monk’s body was found inside his temple, no blood stains have been found inside the building which gives us the assumption that the monk was taken bodily to an unknown location outside the temple, murdered and brought back and dumped in the temple.
Sri Rathanasara Buddhist Centre, Thanamalwila- Mysterious Deaths and Disappearance of Monks:
· In 1989 September, Ven. Thiranagama Rathanasara Thero was murdered in the temple;
· From 1989-1999 after the death of Ven. Rathanasara Thero, a number of monks had come to reside at this temple and work for the welfare of Thanamalwila villagers who are poor, innocent and helpless. The monks were keen to give a proper Buddhist education to the village children. However, Pastor Ashley Samarasinghe had used his thugs and paid workers to get rid of these monks by threatening them and ordering them never to return to Thanamalwila;
· In 2001, Ven.Rathmalane Seelawanse Thero went to occupy and reside at Sri Rathanasara Buddhist Centre. Being a fearless monk, he was able to rally the villagers and curtail the unethical conversion activities of Pastor Ashley Samarasinghe. Ven. Seelawanse Thero opened and operated 18 pre-schools in the area to give the children a Buddhist education instead of subjecting them to Christian dogmas. This angered Pastor Samarasinghe who avowed to destroy the monk someday.
· In 2003 February, thugs broke into the temple premises, knocked on the door and when Ven. Seelawanse opened the door, threw a hand bomb into the room with a view of killing the monk but fortunately, the monk escaped with minor injuries;
· In 2006 February, a complaint was made by a girl attending the Dhamma School of Ven. Seelawasne at the police station to say that the monk had attempted to molest her. She is supposed to have stated to the WPC that she was threatened by her uncle that if she did not make the statement to the police, he would kill her mother. The girl had stated that she was making the statement due to fear that her uncle would harm their family;
· In 2006 April on 21st, Ven. Seelawanse Thero’s temple was surrounded by a gang who bundled him into his 3 wheeler (the girl’s uncle was also present) and drove him to the girl’s house. There they had beaten the monk and abused him mercilessly in the process of which, a police officer also had arrived at the scene and kicked and abused the monk without giving him a hearing. Towards the early hours of April 22nd, they had driven the monk to the police station and kept him in a jeep till morning without taking a statement from him. Later, the monk was moved to the hospital and then to the Tangalle prison where he was kept until he was produced in courts and bailed out;
· In 2006 November Ven. Seelawanse Thero who was utterly frustrated with the manner in which the police were conducting his court cases and the continuous harassment from the Pastor Ashley Samarasinghe gang, wrote a booklet outlining in detail, the sequence of events, the underhand dealings of Pastor Ashley Samarasinghe and the indifference and negligence of the police to attend to any of his complaints. In this booklet called “In This Injustice, You are The Jury”( me avanaduwe, juriya obayi- mame Rathmalane Seelawanse Himi(Sinhala translation) ;
· In 2006 December 23rd, we hear that Ven. Seelawanse Thero has been murdered and that his body is in a highly decomposed state with head injuries and 3 wounds to the chest. The post-mortem verdict “homicide”
Press Control By Christians:
In order to accomplish the agendas of the Christian bretheren, they have ensured that they have controlling powers in the editorial staff of almost all newspapers in this country. Any articles which might seem to be pointing fingers at shortcomings of the Church, or else which might be highlighting the exceptional qualities of Buddhist personalities are conveniently “censored” by the editorial staff of these newspapers and never published.
In relation to Ven. Seelawanse Thero’s harassment, a gentleman wrote to the Sinhala newspapers highlighting his predicament with a view of enlightening the Sinhala readership about harassment meted out to Buddhist monks but it was not published in a single Sinhala paper. By chance if an article does get published which is unfavourable to Christians, the editor of that newspaper will surely receive a phone call before long, to inform them that no further patronizing will be done in the form of advertising if that newspaper continues to publish articles harmful to Christian interests! That is the extent to which they go, to ensure that Buddhist issues do not receive due coverage in the press media!
“Press freedom” in this country, is freedom only for non-Buddhists to air their views and grievances, but not meant for Buddhists to air their grievances. Terrorists in this country are given more coverage than Buddhists!

What is The Use of “Inter-Religious Committees” for Such Anti-Buddhist Conspiracies?
When the Christian Churches are deliberately conspiring against Buddhists and Hindus and employing paid workers to expedite their plots, it should be obvious to any sane thinking individuals that an Inter-Religious Committee is of absolutely no use for any non-Christian to gain any impartial solution to their problems. When the perpetrators themselves are Christians (which includes Catholics, Protestants and Evangelists) , will the Christian members of these Committees give a fair hearing? It is very obvious, that their suggestion for such Committees to be implemented, is to whitewash their own sins. This will be a way of dragging on issues without any viable solution given to the victims except humiliation and frustrations. No doubt, this again is their own conspiracy to soft-peddle their own wrong doings.
Unfortunately for us, we have reputed Buddhist monks who have fallen prey to the conspiracies of the “Inter-Religious Committee” concept of the Churches and who are now almost totally under the “thumb control” of the Christian Churches and their view-points. Without even understanding the implications, they “parrot- talk” what the Reverend Fathers of the Christian Alliance want them to say- this indeed is the extent to which some Bhikkus are gullible!
Why Is “The Anti-Conversion Bill” So Important to Be Implemented?
In a democratically elected country with its own judicial system in place, all victimized parties must be able to appeal to a court of law, for them to get a fair and impartial hearing on the from an independent body. In this exercise, they will be able to retain their own lawyers who will present the case as it should be and not like in the “Inter-Religious Committees” where members could twist the interpretations to suit their own agendas. Therefore, it is absolutely essential that relevant police authorities and the judiciary become part of this “problem solving operation” even though it might take some time.
So many incidents have taken place during the last 10-15 years with no proper solution and therefore, it became evident to Buddhists and Hindus that a Bill must be passed in parliament without further delay. Freedom of Conscience does not mean that aggressors can override the religious freedom of others!
Buddhists have never ever shed blood to propagate Buddhism nor have they ever plotted and planned to do any bodily harm to any believer of another faith. However, the same cannot be said of over zealous Christians and Muslims who are utterly intolerant of believers of other faiths. They will even go to the extent of paying individuals to harm their own places of worship and implicate Buddhists and also spread distorted information through their Christian websites world-wide which they are doing all the time. All this is done “in the name of God” who is so merciful, loving and forgiving- is this not the height of hypocrisy?
The case of Ven. Rathmalane Seelawanse Thero is another example of their ruthless conspiracies. Who knows how many more Buddhist monks are targeted- we will probably see in the very near future? Let us hope that the Government of Sri Lanka will take appropriate steps to implement the necessary Bills which could expose the activities of heartless conspirators!

http://www.elakiri.com/forum/showthread.php?t=12874

Sri Lankan Buddhists Target Christians for Monk's Death
("Oneworld," December 23, 2003)

The death of one of Sri Lanka's most venerated Buddhist monks while on a visit to Russia, has sparked allegations that he was murdered by Christian fundamentalists who he had long criticized, and the fear of a Buddhist backlash at his funeral slated for Wednesday.

The Venerable Gangodawila Soma Thera, 57, had arrived in Russia on October 10 on a ten-day visit to accept an honorary doctorate conferred on him by the International University Of Fundamental Studies (IUFS) in St Petersburg.

But Thera fell ill immediately, dying of a heart attack on December 12, after being bed-ridden for several weeks.

His death was enough to stir the communal cauldron back in Sri Lanka, with the jingoistic elements among the Buddhists - who make up 71 percent of the country's population - crying foul play.

Leading Buddhist organizations took out countrywide protests, demanding the body be brought to Sri Lanka without an autopsy. The government had to make a special request to the Russian government in this regard.

By the time the monk's body was flown to the capital Colombo on December 18, the local media was hurling accusations at radical Christian sects which have long been active in Sri Lanka.

The Assembly of God, Pentecostal Church and Jehovah's Witness are some of the Christian sects against whom allegations of conversions have been leveled.

Mourners decorated the streets with yellow flags and leveled allegations against IUFS' Rector, a Sri Lankan who had invited the Venerable Soma Thera to Russia.

According to the Buddhists, the Rector, who is also a Christian priest and a degree holder in Christian Theology, had invited the monk to Russia with ulterior motives.

They allege that Soma Thera was eliminated because he was an outspoken critic of Christian missionaries who were converting Buddhists to Christianity.

The Buddhist organizations say it is highly unlikely that a healthy Soma Thera would have suddenly had a heart attack the day of his arrival in Russia.

They claim Christian forces conspired and murdered the articulate and charismatic monk who was also the head of the Buddhist temple in Perth, Australia in the 1990s.

Alleges the convenor of the National Buddhist Monks Congress, the Venerable Ellawala Medananda Thera, "Money was channeled here to silence those who spoke against the work of certain radical Christian sects that have even earned the wrath of the Roman Catholic Church here. Soma Thera was right on top of their hit list."

Significantly, prior to his Russia visit, in several newspaper interviews, Soma Thera had spoken about a plot to murder him by these sects.

The Sasana Sevaka Sangamaya, a lay organization formed by Soma Thera, claims it has information that Christian fundamentalists had arranged a sum of US $24,000 to silence him and Medananda Thera.

With his religious figurehead gone, the man on the street is in an agitated state.

"The Venerable Soma gave leadership to the Sinhala Buddhists who were blind to the threat to their religion. His voice was the true voice of the Sinhala Buddhists. Now that he is no more, there's no hope for us," laments retired literature teacher, Sumana Perera.

Soma Thera's untimely death has pumped anti-Christian sentiment in Sri Lanka to an all-time high. Warns political analyst Malinga Seneviratne, "Buddhists were aware of the manipulations of Western missionaries to convert Buddhists and Hindus to Christianity. After years of patience, it won't be surprising if they vent their anger on the day of the funeral."

But the Christians aren't ready to be thrown to the lions. Says an activist of the Assembly of God, Bandula Jayamanne, "The autopsy conducted on December 18 has made it clear that Soma Thera's death was caused by a heart attack. It is ridiculous to blame us."

He adds, "We have never been involved in unethical conversions and those who join our church are doing so because they are convinced of our teachings."

Sri Lanka's Roman Catholic Church too has admitted the fact that certain fundamental Christian sects have become a clear threat to Buddhist-Catholic unity.

The day Soma Thera's remains arrived in Colombo, the Colombo Archbishop, Oswald Gomis, issued a statement, the second in a matter of months, condemning the acts of certain Christian sects.

"We, the Bishops of the Catholic Church of Sri Lanka, are deeply conscious of the social unrest allegedly caused by certain activities of the fundamentalist Christian sects, particularly by the more radical elements. Some of their reported activities have begun to endanger the peaceful co-existence among different sections of society," it stated.

It is clearly a fire-fighting move. Observers say that with Buddhist emotions running high, the Catholic Church is worried that people might go on the rampage if a detailed investigation reveals foul play. So it is desperate to set itself apart from other Christian sects.

While the government analysts' report is awaited, parallel investigations are on. On Saturday, the police put the Rector's brother, who accompanied Soma Thera to Russia, through a five-hour interrogation.

Interestingly, the latter, himself a Buddhist, and the editor of a Buddhist magazine published by Soma Thera for the last six months, has reportedly told the police he was not aware his brother was a Christian priest.

But the key question which remains unanswered is why Soma Thera - the country's strongest critic of Christian conversions - went all the way to Russia to get a doctorate on the invitation of a Christian reverend.

With Soma Thera's cremation fixed for Wednesday, the government - which is under tremendous pressure to crack the case - is taking no chances with security.

President Chandrika Kumaratunga has ordered the police and armed forces to crack down on anybody trying to foment trouble. This followed reports that some enraged nationalist groups might unleash violence on the day of the cremation.

Mainstream leaders have called for restraint. Says the ruling United National Front strongman and Minister of Environment, Rukman Senanayake, "Since investigations are still on, it is premature to say what caused his death. But that should not be a reason for anybody to give wrong interpretations to the whole episode. Everybody should act prudently."

Catholics comprise 6.4 percent of Sri Lanka's total population of 19 million. The other Christian sects comprise a little less than 1 percent.

http://www.mirifica.net/artDetail.php?aid=1280

Kelompok Kristen Bahas Melemahnya Peraturan dan Tata Tertib
23 Desember 2004 00:42

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (UCAN) -- Serangan granat yang mematikan dalam sebuah pertunjukan hiburan di Colombo diangkat dalam sebuah pertemuan para karyawan Kristen sebagai contoh melemahnya peraturan dan tata tertib yang membuat negara itu menderita.

Serangan 11 Desember tersebut merupakan topik utama yang dibicarakan peserta pada 13 Desember selama pertemuan setiap hari Senin tentang masalah yang dihadapi saat ini di Colombo.

Dengan menggunakan metode "See, Judge, Act" (melihat, menilai, dan bertindak) yang diusulkan oleh Joseph Kardinal Cardijn dari Belgia, pendiri Christian Workers Movement (CWM), CWM menganalisa pembangunan kontemporer di Sri Lanka. Mereka melihat meningkatnya kejahatan, melemahnya peraturan perundang-undangan, dan menghilangnya kebenaran dalam pengadilan semakin merajalela dalam masyarakat.

Dalam daftar sejumlah peristiwa mengkhawatirkan yang mereka bahas, antara lain, penembakan mematikan terhadap Jaksa Mahkamah Agung Sarath Ambeptiya, pembunuhan terhadap Gerard Mervyn Perera (korban penyiksaan polisi yang berusaha meminta kompensasi atas perlakuan buruk), dan serangan granat pada pertunjukan "Temptation 2004" yang digelar baru-baru ini oleh para artis India.

Konflik terjadi selama pertunjukan yang berlangsung berbarengan dengan peringatan pertama kematian Yang Mulia Gangodawila Soma Thera (seorang biksu yang berkotbah menentang kristenisasi). Ia meninggal dunia di Rusia pada 12 Desember 2003. Jatika Hela Urumaya (JHU), sebuah partai para biksu Buddha dalam parlemen, mengimbau agar pertunjukan yang telah direncanakan selama beberapa bulan itu ditangguhkan.

Paul Jayawardene, pendiri CWM dari Palliyawatte Wattala dekat Colombo, mengatakan, "Seluruh acara (hiburan) ini diadakan untuk memuaskan begitu banyak fans para artis film India. Imbauan para biksu JHU dan elemen-elemen ekstremis lainnya dari Buddha Sangha (komunitas) diabaikan oleh para fans. Masyarakat kelas menengah dan atas rela membayar 1.000 hingga 10.000 rupee (US$10-100) untuk pertunjukan selama tiga-empat jam ini."

Aksi protes dan aksi puasa sampai mati yang diprakarsai para biksu JHU dan lainnya berakhir menjelang dimulainya pertunjukan itu. Para pelaksana acara dan para artis India menyampaikan permintaan maaf secara tertulis dan berjanji mengheningkan cipta selama dua menit untuk menghormati almarhum biksu itu, lanjut Jayawardene.

Granat yang dilemparkan ke kerumunan orang banyak menjelang akhir pertunjukan itu menewaskan dua orang dan mencederai 15 lainnya. Menurut laporan terkini media, masih belum jelas apakah ledakan itu berkaitan dengan aksi protes para biksu itu.

Serangan terjadi tiga minggu setelah pemerintah memberlakukan kembali hukuman mati, yang sudah tidak diberlakukan hampir 30 tahun. Menurut media, aksi itu dilakukan karena meningkatnya kejahatan yang, menurut pemerintah, dilakukan oleh gang-gang bawah tanah yang terkait dengan perdagangan narkoba.

http://www.mirifica.net/artDetail.php?aid=1280

Tensions Surround Death of Buddhist Monk

On December 23, the Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka called on Christians to pray that there would not be an increase in attacks against Christians in the wake of the death of a prominent Buddhist monk Ven. Soma Thero, who passed away while in Russia to accept an honorary degree. While the cause of death was determined to be a heart attack, militant Buddhist groups suspected foul play and some wildly speculated that his death was the result of a Christian conspiracy. Thero was a champion of the Buddhist nationalist movement in Sri Lanka.
Following Thero's funeral on December 24, a riot erupted, with five people severely beaten, one man because he was identified as a Christian.


Ven. Gangodawila Soma Thero

Police increased security for churches, particularly in areas where violence was a particular concern, and some churches cancelled services. On December 28, two churches in Puvakpitiya, 60 km east of Colombo, were attacked by mobs at the close of the worship services. While there were no reports of injuries, there was extensive damage to the buildings. Local police are reported to be questioning fifteen people and expected to make arrests.
Illustrating the rising hatred for Christians by Buddhist militants, posters have begun appearing around Colombo claiming that NGOs (non-governmental organizations) such as World Vision are part of a "diabolical conspiracy" by Christians to convert and corrupt the nation. The posters read "Let's defeat the NGO mafia" and feature pictures of Thero walking with the Sri Lankan army.


Anti-NGO Poster in Colombo
Photo: TamilNET

In response to this tension, the Sri Lanka Daily News reported today that the government will be setting up "religious unity committees" to maintain peace and prevent religious tensions. These reconciliation committees are being set up under the direction of the Ministries of Buddha Sasana, Christian Affairs, Muslim and Hindu Religious Affairs.

In a less positive development, speaking to reporters on December 28, Thiagaraja Maheswaran, Sri Lanka's minister for Hindu religious affairs, said that he had obtained a copy of the anti-conversion legislation passed by the Tamil Nadu government in India and that, "this will serve as a model for the legislation to be passed in our country." Maheswaran expressed concern about the rising number of religious converts to Christianity among the poor. More than seven thousand Hindu families converted to Christianity in the northeast and central provinces of Sri Lanka in the past ten years. The minister seemed to link the conversions with the work of international relief agencies involved in reconstruction work.

Pray for the increasing danger faced by Sri Lankan Christians from both religious militants and possible government legislation. Pray for wisdom for national and local church leaders in Sri Lanka as they seek to provide guidance to believers there. Pray for the work of Christian organizations in Sri Lanka as they face false accusations of proselytism. For an explanation of the difference between proselytism and evangelism, go to http://www.persecution.net/faq.htm.

http://www.persecution.net/lk-2003-12-31.htm