Asoka Weerasinghe Kings Grove Crescent . Gloucester . Ontario . K1J 6G1 . Canada

September 20, 2009

Bishop John ArnoldƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 
Diocese of WestminsterƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 
Vaughan HouseƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 
46 Francis StreetƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 
London SW1P 1QN

Dear Bishop Arnold:

On September 16, I wrote you in response of your combined statement with Bishop John Rawsthorne of Sheffield in which you called on the Government of Sri Lanka to allow the displaced Tamils to return home after visiting the camps, having gained a rare insight into life in the post-conflict camps.

I reacted with amazement for your lack of patience knowing very well that the Sri Lankan Government is cautious in letting them out like a herd of English Guernsey cattle only to meet death blowing themselves up whenƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ walking on the millions of pressure land mines buried by the Tamil Tigers, and of course, with no habitable houses to return to after a devastating 26 year old war. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ I was hoping that this was not an expression of your Church Law ofƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  jus, divinum, sacrum, poli, coeli (divine, holy, heavenly, justice) which had a cruel connotation in this context.

My reaction as you may remember was, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Sweet Mother of Jesus, please tell me that these two Sons of God are just joking!ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚

Now that I have read the comments by United Nations Under Secretary General for Political Affairs, Lynn Pascoe, who had just visited the Northern welfare camps who said, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Sri Lanka has a better story than is getting out to the world on matters of concern to the United Nations such as Internally Displaced Persons, human rights and post conflict developmentƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ I am not sure whether I should laugh or weep having juxtaposed these two comments as the two British Bishops and the American UN Representative visited the same camps in a matter of ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ a few days apart.

I certainly am prepared to give the benefit of my doubts to Lynn Pascoe as I clearly feel that you two Roman Catholic Bishops are up to a lot of mischief as much as the Sri Lankan Bishops have been who have been sympathetic towards the Tamil Tigers and their separatist cause.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  This certainly is a sad indictment about you two Bishops by a Buddhist who loves his country Sri Lanka, and its peoples which includes the innocent Tamils who ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ have been caught up in this horrendous Eelam stupidity, and believe in the right to lifeƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ of all Sri Lankans and this includes the Tamils.

As I mentioned to you, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-I doubt you two had replaced your purple zucchettos with thinking caps when you made that requestƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚, as you took chances and erred badly with that request.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Imagine that the Sri Lankan Government had opened the flood gates of the welfare camps as you two had demanded and let the Tamils get out like a herd of cattle and that everyone of them dying having popped the landmines when they walked on them where there are millions of them buried like mushrooms in a field!ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  This incident would have been the talk of the world, worst than Jones Town murders.

It wouldnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t have been a case of ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”GenocideƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ charged against the Sri Lankan Government, as they will have a good fool-proof defense telling the courts of law that, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-we were pressured by the two British Roman Catholic Bishops John Arnold of Westminster and John Rawsthorne of Sheffield to let them go and we had no choice.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  The final out come would be that you two Bishops will be held culpable of Mass Murder. There wonƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t be a need for an Agatha Christie to solve these murders as the stupidity by the two Bishops are clear like the toll of the bellsƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ of Westminster Abbey. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Think about it for a moment.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  It certainly wouldnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t be a GodƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s calling for you two to place these Tamil IDPs in such wanton danger, just because you two wanted to bring the Sri Lankan Government to its knees.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  You two were reckless enough to become the fall-guys of a bigger plot of an international conspiracy to bring down Sri Lanka as a last hurrah for the now defunct Tamil Tigers and of course their friends like Norway’s Eric Solheim, Britain’s Keith Vaz, Gordon Brown and David Milliband,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ America’s Robert BlakeƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ , and UNHRC’s Navi Pillay.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ It is that simple.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ I think you two should smarten up and take off your Ascot blinkers if you want to wet your toes in Sri Lankan ethnic politics further.

Lynn Pascoe also expressed satisfaction at the progress being made on de-mining especially with the use of new imported equipments to speed up the process and assured of more UN assistance in this regard.

While you preach with sanctimonious Christian clarity to let the IDPs go home, did you ever wonder whether the Vatican should open up its vaults to give away a little bit of its wealth to buy de-mining equipment for Sri Lanka to hurry the process of cleaning up the mushroom fields of landmines.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  This is a process that takes too long even in the developed west if they donƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t have the right tools, as you may have noticed that even in your neighbouring Croatia, which ended their war 16 years ago are still struggling to finish demining their countryside.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  If the Vatican has already done so, then you may wish to correct me, as the cause has its unimaginable humane virtues than compensating in the millions of dollars for the indiscretion of your clergy which I am sure your cassock isnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t purple enough to hide the embarrassment.

I had to point this out as you two Bishops have little right to stand behind a pulpit and wag your fingers at the Sri Lanka GovernmentƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ that had the courage to accept the challenge of the Tamil Tigers with no help from Britain after 26 years of their killing and maiming innocent civilians, and wiped them out for good.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  You ought to cheer the Sri Lankan Government for giving back the right to life to its peoples who had cultivated the habit of making the sign of the cross or placing their palms together each morning before they got on to a bus praying that they will arrive at their destination in one piece rather than being blown up into smithereens by a Tamil Tiger planted bomb.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  That is how bad it was which I witnessed with my own eyes at Rajagiriya, a Colombo suburb not too long ago.

I concluded my last letter saying that ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-I smell a nasty rat here”. I have now come to the conclusion after reading Lynn PascoeƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s comment that, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-this rat is a biggy, nasty, cruel and a vicious one wearing a white collar starched towards heavenƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚.

While conferring all dignity and respect ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ to your hierarchal position in your Diocese, my request to youƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  Bishop Arnold is, if you are not willing to put on your thinking cap before you make your comments on Sri Lanka, then just keep out of Sri Lankan politics, as you are no longerƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  immune ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ to be questioned just because you wear a purple zucchetto and a purple cassock.

Sincerely,

Asoka WeerasingheƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ (a Buddhist by upbringing who has a wealth of respect for all other denominations which I consider and honest and kind towards mankind.)ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚