Prayers for partners in Sri Lanka

by Global Ministries | published on Oct 10, 2014

Below is a letter from the General Secretary of the National Christian Council in Sri Lanka, who was one of Global Ministries’ international guests at the Disciples General Assembly in Fort Worth last July.

Dear friends,

You may be aware that Sri Lanka ‘celebrated’ 60 years of ‘independence’ yesterday. I wish to bring to your kind information that we are going through a very bad period in the history of our nation and seek your prayers for guidance, wisdom, patience, tolerance and understanding at this critical time.

The ethnic conflict that was unresolved since ‘independence’ has taken away many lives since 1958. In 1983 after the ethnic clashes many Tamils migrated to South India and other parts of the country. With the experiences of frustration, LTTE waged war to get a separate state and it had been continuing on and off since 1983. Various efforts taken for a negotiated settlement have failed due to many reasons. The Cease Fire Agreement signed between the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE in February 2002 was abrogated early this year. The hostilities have escalated. Aerial bombings in the North continue, claymore mines go off killing many innocent civilians in many parts of the country including the South. People are arrested and detained. Freedom of expression is curtailed. Journalists are harassed. People live in fear. It is a volatile situation. Life has been desecrated.

Please remember the people, and the leaders of our weeping and bleeding land. Please also pray for sanity, justice and peace.

Jayasiri Peiris
General Secretary of the National Christian Council in Sri Lanka