UN help sought for religious freedom

The United Nations Organisation (UNO) was on Saturday requested to conduct a probe into the genocide, oppression, and the systematic annihilation of people of Tamil origin in Lanka.  The call was made by an inter-religious, inter-denominational forum, here on Saturday.

The UNO should ensure religious freedom in Sri Lanka, the forum represented by Archbishop of Madras-Mylapore A M Chinnappa, Prof Saraswathi, India Towheed Jamaath(INTJ) president S M Bakkar, Tamilaga Muslim Munnetra Kalagam leader Hyder Ali, National League leader Basheer, Tamilaga Hindu Thurraviyar Peravai Swami Sada Sivananda, PUCL leader T S S Mani and Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam MP Advocate Pandimadevi said.

The forum said that no religious symbols, be it Christian, Muslim or Hindu, were allowed to exist in the post-war Lanka as religioius fanatics are bringing down places of worship. Mani observed that theocracy followed in Lanka had given no room for secularism. Enlisting the number of Catholic priests abducted and murdered by the Lankan government, Chinnappa said that the information has been passed to the Vatican. “Since Bishop of Mannar Rayappu Joseph exposed such abductions and murders, his life is under threat”, he said.

The forum also flayed DMK chief M Karunanidhi for his attempt to gain political mileage through the issue when he could have saved the lives of thousands of Lankan Tamils while the civil war was at its pinnacle. Chinnappa said the forum’s next course of action would be based upon mass mobilisation of support.