MISSION PARTNER NEWSLETTER FROM
SRI LANKA DECEMBER 2007
Our hearts have been truly
warmed by those of you who have expressed concern in your letters and e-mails to
us for Manoranjan, the student imprisoned unjustly under the new Prevention of
Terrorism Act. We are delighted
to announce that Manoranjan was released on Thursday 6th
December with no charges having been made.
This is wonderful news for him, his family and especially his fiancée,
Eucharista, who has visited him almost everyday.
Through much hard work by many people, known and unknown to us, the
Attorney General’s office was finally persuaded to issue the relevant
paperwork. One day we hope we will
know the whole story of his arrest and his eventual release.
Part of this story will concern the identity of the person who informed
the Police, not once but several times, and who, after the Police wisely ignored
the anonymous letters, then wrote to the Army who took a different view. We would like to emphasise that we are certain the offender
was neither Sinhalese nor a student, and that the offender is psychologically
disturbed in some way. This story has a happy ending but it could have ended
very differently.
Rumbling away in the background is the war – something all too easily lost sight of even in Sri Lanka. The fighting seems to have moved from the East to the North West, in particular, the Mannar area where many of our Methodist students come from. But the effect of the war is being felt throughout the island, especially in its negative effect on the economy. Inflation has risen to 20%, in part due to increasing commodity prices but also due to the devaluation of the Sri Lanka rupee. Too much money is being spent on the war – so say some of the Sunday papers. One such, the Sunday Leader, the most out-spoken of then all, suffered an arson attack on its printing presses two weeks ago. A few weeks earlier, one of its journalists was arrested after writing about a Minister whose wife’s mobile phone bill was paid by his department. The journalist was released after a few frightening days. There have been two recent bombs in Colombo, one a suicide bomb. These do not help the path of peace.
More directly affected by the war are the people living in refugee camps built next to the main road to Batticoloa, the largest town in the East. We drove past them in the dark on our way east and in the twilight on our way back. Although the area is said to be “cleared” of the LTTE, the refugees have not returned to their homes. This is because they do not feel safe enough and reconstruction is required.
The purpose of our visit to Batticoloa was to attend the ordination of our friend, Suji, whom we visited in his work place, Muttur near Trincomalee, earlier this year (see June newsletter). Batticoloa is similar to Trincomalee in that there are many soldiers around. But there are also young men without uniforms carrying guns too. These are members of the breakaway Tamil group, the Karuna Faction that is now allied with the Government. Their presence does little to help people feel safe. In fact, this group have abducted the brother-in-law of a TCL student..
A statue of the first Methodist Missionary to Sri Lanka, William Ault, who landed in Batticoloa in 1814, lived only 8 months longer but who was the “primary pioneer of education in the region”
Life at the Theological College carries on. James continues to support then 16 college PCs. Recently one was allocated to a student Internet line which some students are using – when the line itself works. The infrastructure here is usually OK but sometimes we have long power cuts – 10 hours covering the working day, and much longer periods without a telephone line. Water problems are usually due to power cuts that prevent pumping.
Talking of water, James recently enjoyed visiting the Towns South of Kandy Water Supply Project, which is funded mainly by the good people of Denmark using soft loans. We know the Chief Production Engineer, Bernard, a Swede, who kindly showed James and two others around. The aim is to add 20,000 new homes to the water grid and improve the supply to another 11,000 others. The water is taken from the Mahaweli River, treated and pumped up to several new concrete reservoirs in the hills. Gravity then does the rest. There are over 400km of pipe. The main contractor is a Danish company whose customer is the National Water Supply and Drainage Board. This government body decides when work is complete so that the company then can claim payment from the Danish Government. There are many civil servants officers looking over the shoulders of the main contractor. Bernard seems to spend lots of time fighting various issues locally. A fascinating project! (Incidentally, this project should improve the supply to the college.)
Closer to home, in the library to be precise, a steel platform has finally been built over an incongruous indoor pond. This liberates lots of space in the rather beautiful library hall. Another imminent project is the installation of a more efficient wood-burning stove in the mess hall kitchen. This will save wood, reduce carbon emissions and also make things easier for the hardworking kitchen staff.
Rosemary taught an intensive postgraduate BD Course on New Testament Theology and has continued, week by week, to the teach the Life and Ministry of Jesus to the first years - which she enjoyed, both the subject and the students. She does not relish the prospect of marking their Tamil/Sinhala assignment and exam scripts. And, no doubt, nor will those who will be translating for her.
She continues to teach two music classes a week: beginners and a bit less so. She has also been training, with Maggie, the TCL Mission Partner Librarian, an English Choir to sing two Advent Carols for the TCL Christmas Cultural Programme on December 1st. The final rehearsal for this clashed with the first day of the Sri Lanka v England Test Match in Kandy, but Maggie was happy to manage the rehearsal on her own so that Rosemary could see most of the match. We left the cricket in Kandy at 4pm, for the 5pm Programme in the Methodist Church, feeling very pleased as SL were all out for 188. Our joy, of course, did not last. In the end, we were able to see most of two days play, including the moment when Muralitharan broke the test wickets record. Much excitement and fireworks! It was strange to be amongst so many Brits.
We continue to show films on Friday nights and this term’s have included Hotel Rwanda, Amazing Grace and I am David. We would welcome more ideas!
Rosemary and a final year student Manjuka went on a Women’s Interfaith Conference in Hyderabad. This was Rosemary’s first visit to India but much more importantly, it was Manjuka’s first trip outside Sri Lanka. At the beginning, she was terrified even of escalators but the experiences enabled her to grow in confidence, as well as having to use her English, her third language.
Manjuka views the stock in a Hyderabad shalwarz shop
As we prepare to spend our third Christmas here, we think of those for whom this time of year is difficult, due to the loss of loved ones, especially those spending their first Christmas without them. Both at sad times and joyful times, we feel a long way from “old” friends. However, we do have “new” friends here. In November our Nuwara Eliya Canadian Mission Partner friends, Rebecca and Mathew Baker, organised a gathering for Mission Partners and, amongst other things, we enjoyed a lovely mountain walk together.
Very English, not at all tropical, rain stops play on the second day of the test match. Sunday afternoon December 2nd 2007
Some Christmas cards have already arrived. Thank you for remembering us. We appreciate those of you who keep in touch with us during the year, and at the end of another year here, we do want to say how grateful we continue to be to Janet and Robin Bull for all that they do for us. We conclude by sending you our good wishes for Christmas and for the New Year that beckons.
Our Website: We apologise for the fact that the web site has been off-line for the last 4 months. This is for reasons beyond our control. When this comes back on-line there will be new photos of our life here in Sri Lanka: www.rosemaryandjames.methodistchurch.co.uk
For more about TCL see: www.tclsl.org
Please
consider the following prayer points:
Ž For Manoranjan’s adjustment to “normal” life.
Ž For Bishop Duleep of Colombo, an outspoken advocate for inclusiveness and peace, who is recovering from chikungunia, a debilitating mosquito-borne disease.
Ž For the TCL staff, students and faculty and their families.
Ž For those killed, bereaved or injured in the recent bomb attacks in Colombo and all those suffering similarly in the war zone. For an immediate stop to the violence, abductions and imprisonment without trial
Ž For the relief of all displaced and frightened people so that they can return to their homes in safety.
Ž For those telling news often against the interests of powerful people.
In
solidarity with the whole of creation, we bring into our mind’s eye and our
heart’s care, to hold in the healing light of your love, the needs of this
planet and all its peoples, allowing the energy of our concern to be charged
with the power of your Spirit, bonding us together in a network that strengthens
us all.
Jim
Cotter ( adapted by the Reverend Ros Murphy and sent to us).
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