British Sinhalese and Tamils pray for peace in Sri Lanka

(September 23, London, Sri Lanka Guardian) “Christian faith united different communities to share their religious beliefs and to pray for peace in war torn Sri Lanka. I was glad to support such an important Christian push for an end to such a bloody strife,” said the Independent Member of the British Parliament, Mr Andrew Pelling who attended a United Churches event in Croydon, Surrey on Sunday.

Addressing a packed congregation at the Fairfield Halls that brought together both the Sinhalese and Tamils from various churches in South London, Mr Pelling said, we have many people with links to Sri Lanka who live in Croydon and who are distraught at the war there.

“It is but imperative that both sides need to pull back from the bloody war that is destroying Sri Lanka.” added Mr Pelling. He also reiterated that the government also needs to reverse its order to remove UN and humanitarian organizations out of the conflict areas.

Speaking to Sri Lanka Guardian from London Monday, Mr Patrick Ratnaraja, the spokesperson for the Jaffna Diocese of the Church of South India (JDCSI) in the United Kingdom said there is marked demand among the Sri Lankan Diaspora for the warring parties to move away from the theatre of war and seek a peaceful resolution. Mr Ratnaraja one of the local leaders of the Conservative Party said British parliamentarians are concerned about a great deal of civilian sufferings and loss of life and the war seems to be going on with no end.

He also expressed his gratitude for the support and encouragement for this cause from Mr Andrew Pelling and for being a good voice for the Sri Lankan Diaspora in South London.

Mr Ratnaraja’s church in Sri Lanka, the JDCSI headed by the Rt Rev Dr Daniel Thiagarajah, Bishop in Jaffna and a peace activist, is very much committed to seek peace among the diverse communities in the country and believes this could be achieved, and it has to be achieved. The JDCSI has congregations in all the nine provinces of the country but one, a dynamic change from having been a church of the north for many years. - Sri Lanka Guardian