By Sonali Samarasinghe

At 9 a.m last Sunday July 6, a handful of Christians in and around Thalahena flocked to the Calvary Church at Araliya Place, Thalahena, Malabe for their weekly devotional service. As they travelled to their place of worship they were not to know that lurking somewhere in the bushes were a mob. A mob led by four Buddhist monks intent on teaching them a lesson they hoped the church was unlikely to forget.

Little did the 75 Christian believers practicing their religion in what they thought was a democracy that Sunday know that in a couple of hours, their pastor would be grievously hurt and be in hospital, that their church would be a tangled mess of falling roof, broken chairs and shattered glass and that their vehicles would be vandalised. 

Little did they know that the symbol of their faith - the cross would be denigrated and condemned and that all this would happen at the instigation of some Buddhist monks - professing a philosophy of non violence and tolerance.

At 9 that morning the service began with Pastor Roshan Andriezen in attendance. Soon there was a commotion at the front entrance and four Buddhist monks entered demanding to know who the pastor was and stating that the service be stopped immediately.

To discuss the issue

Pastor Roshan immediately came forward and attempted to conduct the monks outside the church building to discuss the issue. Six male elders from the church followed Pastor Roshan while the women and children, many frightened and crying remained within the building. Outside they were met by a mob of about 25 persons.

"They threatened to destroy the church building and 'finish off everything,' Pastor Roshan told The Sunday Leader. "They said they have already attacked some 23 churches," Pastor Roshan alleged.

Five days after the brutal attack Pastor Roshan is still in severe pain. His right eye was badly hurt, his nose was broken and his back was beaten and badly bruised. Attacked from all sides and hit once with the heavy wooden pulpit in the church it was Pastor Roshan, his father John Andriezen, his brother Rohan Andriezen and three other male elders of the church who faced the full brunt of the dastardly attack.

Pastor Roshan was to then explain to the mob that there were laws in place that should protect their rights, but the monks had allegedly retorted, according to an official statement released by the Calvary Church Headquarters in Mirihana, that it was they who made the laws in the land and it would be they who would break the laws.

 Fraught with tension 

With the atmosphere fraught with tension those inside the church had desperately dialed the police emergency hotline 119 several times. A while later two police officers were to arrive on the scene.

Meanwhile earlier that morning at about 7.30 a.m Pastor Roshan on entering the church together with a few elders of the church in preparation for the morning service had noticed the glass was broken on the cross in the church premises. They were to inform 119 immediately and two police officers from the Talangama Police Station arrived on the premises and recorded a complaint.

Now later in the morning one of the police officers who had recorded the first statement accompanied the other on to the scene of the alleged crime.

According to the official statement of the Calvary Church it was alleged the monks in the presence of the police had declared that their intention was to bring kerosene and burn the church down, while the believers were inside. The two policemen attempted to calm the mob and the monks but to no avail.

In the melee one of the monks had declared that he was not from the village insisting that unless the priest from the village arrived along with others to support the cause he would decline to protest.

Casting the first stone

It was at this time that the Thalahena temple bells pealed repeatedly. Pastor Roshan alleges that villagers were told on inquiry that it was in fact monks who were being attacked by church goers.

The rumour was sufficient for a mob of about 300-400 villagers to storm the church premises. It was then that they started stoning the church.

With those trapped within the church constantly dialing 119, now four policemen arrived together with about 10 in civvies but were unable to quell the incited mob who had now started to call out to the pastor to come outside as they wanted to kill him.

According to the Calvary Church the Acting OIC of  Talangama then proceeded in to the church building and asked Pastor Roshan to disperse the church members under police protection and then resolve the issue through dialogue with the monks and villagers.

Pastor Rosh-an was reluctant however to do so fearing for the safety of his flock but the Acting OIC pointed to his pistol and assured him that he was taking responsibility for the safety of the church members and was therefore prepared to use his weapon if necessary in the light of the threat to burn down the church building with the people inside.

Stormed into the church          

Alas however as the church members left the building, the monks and villagers had allegedly stormed inside the church with clubs and poles brutally assaulting the Pastor, his father, brother and three other male lay leaders. At one point some 30 persons had surrounded the pastor beating him severely once even using the heavy pulpit to do so even as a policeman in civvies tried to defend pastor Roshan by shielding his head.

Once the unruly mob had completely destroyed the church roof, chairs and other equipment it was none other than the Buddhist monks who came over to Pastor Roshan, allegedly kicking him, with one of them allegedly saying 'I will catch you, as I have noted you, and I will not let you go. I can do this as I have underworld connections.'

Pastor Roshan and several others who were injured were later rushed to the Koswatte Hospital in a police vehicle, but since the injuries were too severe for the hospital to treat they proceeded to the Kalubowila Teaching Hospital in a private vehicle. Pastor Roshan was discharged five days later last Thursday (10). He suffered a broken nose, severe injury to his right eye and lower back. His father sustained injuries to his arm and back.

Statements were subsequently made to the police and several suspects charged in case No. 2384/B. It is learnt that the lawyer for Calvary Church Nalinda Indratissa had also made written representations to the Attorney General on the conduct of the investigations.

Barbarism

However it is a reflection of the depths to which this country has sunk and the barbarism and hooliganism that prevails that such an incident took place and that such acts of violence against other religions are treated by many as acts of heroism.

One of the monks present at the incident (see interviews elsewhere on this page) justified their actions stating they were against conversions. However Pastor Roshan is adamant in his denial. There is a difference he says, between forcing someone to convert and a person converting out of conviction. "We do not give them economic benefits. What is more it is they who every Sunday give a small offering if they can to the church if at all. We do not accept this allegation."

Ven. Galagodatta GnanasaraThero in an interview with The Sunday Leader was to also allege that these pastors have terrorist connections. He cited the incident of two pastors in Wattala who were caught with suicide bomb kits.

Pastor Roshan, a Burgher who is mainly conversant in Sinhalese is shocked at the allegation. "I don't know anything about any Wattala incident but we are open at all times," he says. The authorities can check us out at any time and we will cooperate. How can you say pastors have such connections?"

The Calvary Church meanwhile has made a further statement to the police with regard to protection of the premises as the police withdrew its presence at 9 a.m that morning.

Intolerance    

That there is hatred and intolerance towards other religions as the government propagates a policy of extremism and hate filled nationalism is evident. Neither has this government, now waging war against its own citizens realised what a terrible monster it is nurturing in the JHU monks whose hate politics linked to Buddhism has found resonance with a Sinhalese polity that is largely racist and ignorant.

And while Sri Lanka plummets towards Nazi rule on the one hand it is hurtling towards a monstrosity that is religious intolerance on the other.  

Just two weeks before the Thalahena incident Ven. Omalpe Sobitha together allegedly with the leadership of the Middeniya Purana Viharaya held a rally in Middeniya town on June 22. The rally consisted of hate speeches and calls for destruction of evangelical churches.

Forgetting that this country was converted to Buddhism as well, priests shouted out against conversion in a frenzy. They allegedly dragged a cross on a tractor and burnt it in the town square. They stoned the Middeniya Assembly of God pastor's house.

The attacks on churches is now again gaining momentum and President Mahinda Rajapakse must realise that he is the protector of all the citizens of this country. As the elected President he cannot pick and choose who he will protect. The law of the land cannot pick and choose whom it will protect.

True to her faith

Ironically President Rajapakse's wife, First Lady Shirathi is a devout Catholic who is found very often in church of a morning. She does not confine herself to Catholic churches and it is to her undeniable credit that despite the political ramifications and the strength of the JHU and other like hate elements she continues to be true to her faith.

It is to her credit that she cares not for the ramblings of the hate mongers as she boldly walks into church (name of the church withheld for security considerations) and declares to the people her religion.

Just as First Lady Shiranthi Rajapakse has the right to walk into a church of a Sunday morning and pray undisturbed so has the villager in Talahena the right to walk into a church and pray.

No Buddhist priest nor politician nor JHU monk can stop another human being from exercising the religion of his or her choice. This is fundamental to the law of this land.

President Rajapakse had better look sharp. Already Lt. General Sarath Fonseka says that the LTTE will endure for over 20 years and the insurgency will go on forever because of Tamil nationalism. The country's politicians since independence starting from S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike have created a communal monster by pandering to Sinhala extremism.

 One hopes Rajapakse does not let this dangerous trend go unattended by again pandering to Sinhala Buddhist extremism.

It would spell the end of this nation as we know it.