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National F and Harm
· – 3: ..
the General Conference held on7 I St. En el 2 mind of October 1983 if ( ! The
Adopted on the conclusion of
Bandaranait Memorial International Conference Hall Colombo,
is =പ

eclaration

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PEOPLE'S DEC LARATION
FOR
NATIONAL PEACE AND HARMONY
Adopted on the conclusion of the General Conference held on 1st and 2nd ಜ್ಷಾರೀ” 1983
(Tህ [ዘ6
Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall
Colombo,

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PEOPLE'S DECLARATION FOR PEACE AND HARMONY
PRESENTATION
We,
the Citizens of Sri Lanka,
belonging to
diverse races, professing different creeds and speaking different languages, representing people from all districts of Sri Lanka engaged in professions and services of a non-political nature such as, Justice, Education, Agriculture, Labour, Medicine, Science, Technical, Legal, Arts, Letters, Administration Communication, Business, Banking, Teaching, Clerical, Corporation and Public Security, having assembled at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall, Colombo,
O Saturday and Sunday of the tenth and eleventh phases of the waning moon of the month of Binara in the year 2527 of the Buddhist Era,
Or,
1st and 2nd of October 1983 A.D., responding to the kind invitation extended by the Lanka Jatika Sarvodaya Shramadana Sangamaya and with the blessings of the Maha Sangha, headed by the most Venerable Maha Nayake Theras, as well as the very Reverend Clergy of Hindu, Christian and Islamic Religious Orders and being devoid of all partialities, with the avowed aim of dispelling the current mutual distrust, disunity, violence

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舒夺”ffဇို့écွင့ဂ္ဃ၊ andythe sole objective of achieving Unity:"Harrhöny, Peace, Co - existence and Prosperity of the Sri Lankan people, and of re-establishing our country as a true, non -violent, united and a nationally integrated society, • based on the Law of Righteousness and People's Power, to be again worthy of the honour of being called the Land of Plenty and of Righteousness and having met peacefully, deliberated peacefully, and having arrived at a consensus, do most respectfully present this
“People's Declaration for National Peace and Harmony”
to
All Religious Leaders headed by the Maha Sangha, the General Public of w the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, their Community Leaders, - His Excellency the President and the Honourable the Prime Minister, the Members of Parliment, the Leaders and Followers of all Political Parties, and solicit their fullest co-operation and participation in effecting this
Declaration.
PROLOGUE
In 1948 when Sri Lanka was on the verge of freeing herself of foreign domination and influence of over four and a half centuries, faint signs of a Sinhala - Tamil distrust mainfested themselves disrupting the amity that prevailed until then, penetrating into many aspects of the Community Life of the island in the form of racially divisive activities - political and otherwise - leading to national dis - harmony and ultimately to the Tragedy of the last week of July 1983, giving violent shocks to the major portion of the decent, law-abiding
2

Sri Lankan population, and violating both the State Law and the Law of Righteousness, iestroying Social peace, and in particular, he spirit of co-existence that prevailed then, hough to a limited degree, between the Sinhala and Tamil communities, And having realised that it is the duty of every citizen to study in depth and analyse the symptoms of common degeneration in our Society that surfaced through this tragedy, and to root out its causes and whereas this tragedy has dis - credited and dis - honoured Sri Lanka in the eyes of the world, and as the very thought of resultant repercussions of such incidents, if repeated, is frightening, and whereas it is the duty of every responsible citizen to ensure that no such unfortunate situation would ever recur in future in our land and to resolve this complex problem, justly and non - violently and with a genuine conviction, avoiding being extremist, in order to prevent it being worse confounded, and hence, the re-establishment of Peace being the vital challenge of the moment facing the Sri Lankan Community, and it being our firm conviction and fervent hope that it is through such non-violent, just and peaceful means, that a lasting solution may be found, and that the territorial integrity and the unitary status of the State, together with the fortune that posterity may be able to live in peace and in a spirit of co-existence could be ensured,
We, representing the general public of Sri Lanka, have resolved to proclaim this
People's Declaration for Peace and Harmony ' for the guidance and inspiration of our ownselves - the Sri Lankans of the present, as well as those of the future.

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PRINCIPLES
Accepting the Buddha's noble pronouncement " Hatred does not cease by hatred : only by non-hatred does hatred cease' and basing ourselves on the principles that only non-violence should mark the fate of human progress that all attempts at the solution of problems in modern society should be free from evil in thought and deed, treat the territorial integrity of Sri Lanka comprising of 25,332 sq.miles of land Surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the identity of the Sri Lankan Community, the Unitary Status of the Sri Lankan State and, in particular, the laws defining the Fundamental Rights enshrined in the Constitution of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, as well as the Fundamental Rights enshrined in the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights, should be safeguarded at all cost, and paying due concern only on the "wrong deeds' but not on “wrong doers'
of the past or present,
and fully comprehending the difficulty of arriving at solutions by merely shifting the past or present responsibility for the current divisive situation on any single person or a single group alone, and the necessity that
in a distress or a crisis w that man comes to face individually or collectively, its causal factors should be searched for, identified and analysed in depth, and realising the importance of removing of such causal factors, and of arriving at solutions and means thereof, We have inscribed the following.

AIMS
While proclaiming that
the aim that motivated us to participate at this Conference and to adopt this Declaration was not to offer detailed solutions, or in particular, to propose political solutions to all problems between the Sinhala Tamil and other communities, which have made way for the crisis facing our contemporary society, but, to create a spiritual, mental, social and intellectual environment on a national scale needed for the task of finding solutions through friendly discussion and our active participation through the recommendations of twelve intellectual panels which would study in depth, the subjects related to national problems, we re-emphasise that our aim in searching for these solutions is not to get involved in argument and debate, heading to further complications
but to create a suitable spiritual, mental. social and intellectual environment for arriving at possible solutions in a friendly dialogue based on the principles of Truth and Non-violence.

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SYMPTOMS OF GENERAL DEGENERATION IN OUR SOCIETY
While we accept the fact that, the Stability, Peace and Progress of a Society rest on the degree of understanding, respect and adherence on the part of its members, to its Value System upon which the Spiritual, Moral, Cultural, Social, Economic and Political Sectors of that society are based, and the honour paid and the adherence attached to it by the members, and that our Society showed a gradual degeneration in all these sectors during the post World - War II era, and that, the resulting decadance reached its climax in July SS SS SSLS SSS 0L SS S0 o . erupting into criminal incidents with possible political and or communal overtones of a very Serious nature and having realised that these incidents have shattered the very foundation of our social fabric, revealing.
Firstly - the existence of a number of groupings in our Society, numerically very small, but yet very powerful, who neither pay any heed to, nor observe, what We as cultured people have commonly upheld for thousands of years, as Good and Evil, Moral and Immoral, Right and Wrong, Just and Unjust, Fair and Foul, Human and Inhuman, and that,
Secondly - their solution to Political, Economic,
Social or any other problem, is beyond the realms of the accepted Law of the Land, being conceived only through violence and thuggery, and that,
Thirdly - they pay not even the scantest respect
to life - human or other - and that,

Fourthly - they derive immense mental satisfaction
Fifthly -
Sixthly -
Seventhly -
Eighthly —
Ninthly —
Tenthly -
(consciously or un - consciously) by destroying private and public property, and that,
in their midst, even religious leaders, the custodians of Value Systems in our Society have become ineffective, and that,
some politicians and others who wielding more of wealth, power and position, guided by narrow, political and economic gains, shield and protect these lawless elements, ignoring the damage and destruction they cause to established norms, human lives and the Nation as a whole, and that,
the efficiency and power of the Police, to safeguard Law and Order in such a situation have been weakened
and that
even the Law Courts and Prisons, administering and enforcing Law have become unsafe, and that
the discipline and morale of the Police and the Armed Forces to make their presence felt in the event of a national calamity, whatever the cause may be, have deteriorated, and that,
respectful and law abiding citizens have feelings of doubt and fear to stand up and generate and provide People's Power essential for the protection v

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Eleventhly -
Twelfthly --
of the Value System and the enforcement of Law and Order, in the event of these lawless elements taking over dis - respecting Value Systems and violating the State Law, and that,
the Political Leaders - the strongest section in Modern Society - have failed to provide an undivided, united leadership to the people even during a serious national calamity and that,
as a result of all these, even foreign powers have begun to show undue concern in our internal problems causing a threat to National Sovreignty, We have come to be aware that an understanding of these symptoms of common degneration evident in all communities living in our country, be they Sinhala, Tamil, Moor, Malay, Burgher or any other, is of utmost importance at this moment of crisis.

CAUSES OF DEGENERATION
1. Destruction of the Value System
We believe that, foremost among the factors causing this degeneration is the destruction of the Value System, which for centuries past sustained the main civilizing force of Society, and that this Value System was founded on the ancient Hindu - Buddhist Code of Ethics epitomising Respect for Life - in particular Human Life-, and that these ethics were stabilised in our Societ during the heyday of our civilization, ጽ especially when Buddhism exerted its maximum influence, crystallising themselves into the Observance of the Five Precepts, viz., the Abstinence from Killing, Stealing, Sexual Mis - conduct, Lieing and Consumption of Intoxicants, and that intrinsically, Christianity and Islam, which later permeated our Society, do not stand in contradiction to the said Value System and that, the study of Pali and Sanskrit the classical languages of India also enriched these values which in turn nurtured all social, economic and political corporations Man had established with himself and Nature, and that, with the advent of the Western Imperialists, this Spiritual Culture was weakened and the self-sufficient Agricultural Economy collapsed giving way to a Commercial Culture, “ م with the encroachment of which our spiritual values were gradually forced aside, and a Society, totally biased towards Commercial Values was installed, and that, with the pride of place being given to the English Language, in order to facilitate these Commercial motives the source languages which spiritually nurtured the majority of the Sinhala - Tamil community

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gradually began to dry up, and that community life too, assuming the nature of an empty reservoir of which all fountain sources were exhausted, was exposed consequently to an infusion of materialistic ideas and habits, of the foreigners, which changed the life style of the local population so that the general Sinhala - Tamil public of the post - independence era who thought and Worked in the local languages, became psychologically distanced from one another, though a minority of Sinhalas and Tamils nurtured in the western values and life - styles (referred to) became closely knit together through the medium of the English language though at the same time being further alienated from the afore - mentioned common Sinhala and Tamil community and that, as a result,
the life - style which was founded on the observance of the Five Precepts, of which, Respect for Human Life was the corner stone, was transformed further with an intolerable bias towards the aspirations of a privileged, West - oriented few, who enjoyed wealth, position and power.
2. Discrepancy in the Educational System
While accepting that, the relative stability of a value system is dependent on the quality of education that a people receives from generation to generation, and that it was our traditional educational system that gave birth to and nurtured our spiritual and moral values that guided our forefathers
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1n the pursuit of their economic political, cultural and social activities and that, since our society began to lean towards a commercial culture, all aspects of education, viz., the scope, the methods, the texts used, parent - teacher-pupil relationship, the psychological and physical environment in which Education was imparted, the relationship between the Educational Institutes and Society, the degree of integration of pupils of different racial and religious communities as a Cohesive Group of Citizens belonging to One Nation, all these assumed the characteristics of a competitive commercial human society
and that, the close contact between Spiritual Leadership and Education, was weakened with the decline and sometimes the total destruction of the religious institutions which were centres of Education, and the waning of the influence of monks who supplied their leadership, we aver that the Discrepancy in our Educational System was a main contributory factor that led to the general National Degeneration and the mutual alienation between the Sinhala and Tamil Communities.
3. Loss of the sense of Fear and Shame attached to the
violation of Law and Social Norms
We declare our acceptance of the fact that in the past as a result of the Value - based Educational System which was aimed at the fullest development of human personality, members of families, villages, cities, and the nation as a whole possessed a sense of fear and shame of committing illegal and immoral acts
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and that sentiment of fear arising owing to the possibility of pumishment for violation of State Law, and of shame, arising out of
inevitable ostracism
for the breach of Social Norms, wielded tremendous power as deterrent social forces: but that, during the last few decades, specially since regaining Independence, this healthy social atmosphere met with considerable reversals and the people commonly developed a feeling that, - the possession of wealth, power and position, could save one from the consequence of the violation of State Law, and that · by the use of intimidation, one may still live high yet violating Social Norms, though being secretly despised by Society. This evasion of social responsibility at the highest level paved the way for the emergence of anti-social and shameless elements in our Society.
4. Weakening of Community Leadership
We accept the fact that, by the time we regained our Independence, there prevailed through the influence of Western Imperial force a situation whereby State Law and Legal Powe overpowered People's Law and Power of Righteousness and hence, as local Political Parties and Political Leadership replaced Western Rule, these Parties and their Leaders emerged to provide State, National and Religious Leadership, in place of the Value Based Leadership provided earlier by the Maha Sangha, and that because the majority Sinhala Community and the largest minority - the Tamil Community - as well as the Christian and Islamic Communities, all,
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degenerated in the stranglehold of divisive strife and disintegration and that the number of Community Leaders capable of providing leadership to the people from village level upto national level based on People's Power and the Power of Righteousness, gradually dwindled and almost disappeared during the more recent years.
5. Interference with State Services by External Forces
We accept the fact that, even in the presence of a weakened Law of Righteousness. Social Discipline and Social Peace will be protected at least to an extent, if the State Law is impartial but that partisan political forces and the irresponsible acts of some leaders committed openly, discredited the honour and respect due to Public Institutions such as Public Service, Police and the Army which are maintained by Public Funds for Public Safety a and that hence the strength that these institutions possessed as instruments for the safety of the General Public was considerably weakened, which alone caused the decline of discipline and moral courage of those who serve in them. This in turn, ushered our Society during that Dark Week, into an Interregnum.
6. Creation of a Wrong Life Style
We accept the fact that,
our indigenous Life Style which encouraged and maintained a balance between both Spiritual and Material achievements degenerated gradually to lean more towards Wants than Needs, and that the creation of an ostentatious,
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artificial Life Style with communication mass media in the hands of the 'Haves' having the way and turning the bulk of the people who form the 'Have - nots' like moths to a flame during the past few years, to satisfy either their inner psychological desires or conceptual needs.
Even so,
the denial of an opportunity for this by the competitive economic system led a majority of them psychologically to dissatisfaction and despair.
Hence, these disgruntled groups, who failed to realise their expectations, and in particular, some groups who were not disciplined by one or more of State Law, a wholesome education and in particular, by Value System, made use of political or communal conflicts caused by small groups, and reacted adversely committing anti-social acts to compensate for their pent - up dissatisfaction.
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REMOVAL OF CAUSES OF DEGENERATION
While we accept the fact that mere political solutions alone are inadequate to re-establish National Peace and Harmony, and that even initial steps towards a political solution may be taken and a preliminary attempt at arresting the deterioration of the present problems may be made by first removing the factors that caused the common degeneration of our society, on the acceptance that, as responsible citizens we should
Firstly - re-establish our Value System, Secondly - reform the present educational system fully,
Thirdly - regenerate social respect for moral and ethical principles.
Fourthly - create a suitable climate in the country
for the State Law to be effective justly an impartially devoid of interferences,
Fifthly - promote a sense of stability, discipline
and peace in all Sectors of society inclusive of political leaders and community leaders both spiritual and lay,
Sixthly - grant the necessary freedom
to the members of the public service and the Defence Services in order that they may be effective in the discharge of their duties unhindered and in keeping with the Law of Righteousness and the State Law,
Seventhly - re-establish a suitable economic life style simple, plain and sustainable
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and promoting, in particular the psychological well-being of the younger generation, and without accepting the western modes blindly and with open arms,
Eighthly - create without any further delay
an alternative political system
in keeping with our values and needs, in place of the party based system which is a western product, and is one of the primary causes of the degeneration of and the many ills evident in, present day society and for this cause we pledge ourselves to contribute constructively.
WAY OF REMOVING THE CAUSES OF DEGENERATION
It is a well known fact that whatever the afore mentioned causes may be the responsibility for the incidents that took place has been thrust upon the Sinhala Buddhist public and their spiritual leadership, the Venerable Maha Sangha, by the world's media, and whatever the truth of this pronouncement may be, we are of the opinion that the onus of responsibility for redeeming present society from its state of degeneration rests mainly with the Sinhala Buddhists. We accept, therefore, that
Firstly - steps should be taken in order to give a
leadership to the Buddhist public to re - fashion their social economic and political life
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Secondly -
on the spiritual, moral and cultural values as traditionally laid down, under the leadership of the Maha Sangha,
a Buddhist - Hindu Brotherhood Promotion Programme should be launched on the initiative of the Sinhala Buddhist Community owing to the sole reason
that it is the Tamil Hindu population
Thirdly' -
Fourthly -
Fifthly -
that has won world sympathy as the victims of various crimes,
leaders of all religions - as all religions are intrinsically messages of peace and brotherhood - should unite and exert themselves in the forefront in an attempt at inculcating a sense of respect to the moral laws,
the search for subject matter regarding difficulties, obstacles faced, rights and privileges enjoyed by a community has to be pursued and reports arising out of it compiled in such manner as not to widen the existing rifts
or to fan further a the flames-of communalism but to arrive at a settlement to the existing problems on the basis of truth.
the Plantation Communities of Indian Origin possessing Sri Lankan Citizenship should be integrated with the local village communities,
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Sixthly
Seventhly
Eighthly —
Nitnhly
and subsequently With the total Sri Lankan Community as an attempt to harmonise further Our relations with our neighbour - India.
Special attention has to be focussed on Tamil and other communities living in majority Sinhala areas, in order to accept them, and protect them in brotherhood, respecting and assisting to nurture their language and culture,
special attention has to be focussed on Sinhala and other communities living in majority Tamil areas in order to accept them and protect them in brotherhood respecting and assisting to nuture their language and culture,
immediate investigations have to be made into violations or denials of Human rights of any Community in any part of the country, politically, socially, economically, culturally, or administratively and those occurring due to the weakness of Security Services, and to rectify them with the least delay in keeping with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of the United Nations, and the Fundamental Rights enshrined in the Constitution of Sri Lanka,
corrective steps should be taken in a manner that the Rights of innocent citizens are not threatened in cases of individuals or

groups, acting outside the realms of the Law, commit any violent anti-state, anti-constitutional acts even when taking steps to stabilise Law and Peace of the Land, as such steps would lead to unify the respectability of the State Law and the Social Norm. Measures also should be taken to establish awe, or the law-abiding quality in the people towards the State Law and Peace, soliciting the People's Assistance and Participation in the maintenance of the same.
Tenthly - the present Economic System and its
Eleventhly
Twelfthly
Processes have to be brought under review and an Economic Philosophy and process in keeping with the National requirements and Values have to be thought out and implemented immediately,
the Business Community should use their expertise and other facilities to remove various economic causes and obstacles of the common people . and become partners of National Development in a broader and more reasonable manner to raise the living standards of rural farming and working communities,
the party - and power - oriented political system, considered by most as the main cause of distrust, differences, sectarianism and other vicious obstacles operating in present society should be replaced by an alternate democratic system of administration within the Unitary Frame of the State of Sri Lanka capable of fostering
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Mutual Confidence, Friendship, Brotherhood and Peace, in which the Common People can participate to a maximum
COMMON RECOMMENDATION
This People's Declaration for National Peace and Harmony has so far ventured to explain the true situation of our country today, the causes thereof, the necessity of the removal of those causes and the way of removing them.
To study further, the contents of this Declaration within the framework of Principles, Aims and Processes outlined, and to make detailed proposals of the changes that should be effected in every sector of our Society and to submit recommendations and practical plans as regards methods in which these proposals may be put into effect, the participants have decided to appoint at this Conference,
12 committees to investigate into and report on the following.
1: How may the Venerable members of the Maha Sangha and the lay leaders act to protect the lifestyle of Buddhists in order that it would conform to Buddhist ethics?
2.
How can the Hindu-Buddhist spiritual and cultural affinity, a potential buttress to National Unity, be re-established w
3. a) How can the Fundamental Values of our Society be re-established as an inter-religious force through the consensus of Buddhist, Hindu, Christian, Islam and other religious leaders? 8

b) How can the National Educational System be
re - organised to re - habilitate the Teacher - Pupil relationship, í
inculcate National Values in children and promote mutual fraternal relationships?
What, in fact, are the Rights and Privileges enjoyed, as well as the difficulties and obstacles endured by various communities?
How far are current reports correct in this respect?
How can the cultural aspects and the Audio, Visual, Written and other communication media be structured and maintained in order to build
a national identity and portray a better Sri Lankan image ?
How can the protection and social integration of the Indian Plantation Communities be ensured? .
a) How can the acceptance, protection and
integration with the Sri Lankan community, of the Tamil families and other communities living in majority Sinhala areas be promoted?
b) How can the acceptance, protection and
integration with the Tamil community, of the Sinhala families and other communities living in majority Tamil areas be promoted?
. What Human Rights have been violated anywhere in the country, and what measures should be taken to rectify them?
a) How can the Law - enforcing authorities be made aware of the need for correct public relations and greater mental strength and morale in their own selves in the performance of their duties?
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b) How can the People's Participation be obtained
in re-establishing the respect for the Law of the Land and for Peace?
10. ... What actions should be taken towards
the re-evaluation of the present Economic System and Economic Processes and the evolution of a system of Economic Development in keeping with National Needs and Values?
11. In which manner should business communities come forward to supply more satisfactory expertise and facilities to promote Social and economic development through Integrated Community Development activities, resulting in the reduction of economic disparities and the preservation of National Unity and Harmony? . اسم
12. What are the processes of promoting a more advanced Democratic System of Administration, capable of eradicating distrust, differences, sectarianism and other vicious obstacles to social development prevalent at present? How can such a system mobilise the miximum People's Participation?
We have recommended at this Conference that the Charimen and the Organisers of these Committees should amalgamate with the Executive Council of the Lanka Jatika Sarvodaya Shramadana Sangamaya and act as the National Council for the Follow-up of the People's Declaration for National Peace and Harmony.
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DETERMINATION
We are deeply conscious and our minds are clear about the seriousness of what we have discussed. This Conference has adopted this People's Declaration for National Peace and Harmony which include
several recommendations that we have formulated. We are convinced that the People's representatives exceeding two thousand in number who expressed their views and put forward suggestions. in the formulation of this declaration were motivated by nothing but pure and noble thoughts. We are firm in the determination that the problems we face today should be solved, on the basis of our traditional and timeless principles of Loving Kindness, Compassionate Action, Altruistic Joy, Equanimity, Giving and Sharing, Pleasant Speech, Constructive Activity and Equality alone. The Sarvodaya Shramadana Sangamaya with the blessings and participation of other organisations the General Public and all virtuous people will embark on a Peace Waik, aimed at evoking over the whole nation sacred emotions and thought forces that emanate from the contents of this Declaration.
We believe in the strength of the Spiritual Force that would be released from the minds of the thousands that would participate in this Peace Walk,
and we are confident
that the Government of Sri Lanka, and all political parties as well as those groups attempting to solve the persisting problems of the day through extra - parliamentary procedures and by violence as well as by non-violence, will all bestow their blessings and render their support to this noble venture.
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Finally there exists the possibility of the Supreme qualities of Excellence, Humanism and Humanitarianism of the total Sri Lankan Community emerging and burgeoning as a formidable force of Righteousness from the very moment that this Declaration is adopted. This force will ever grow and mature to usher in an era of prosperity to the entire nation marked by the noble qualities of Unity, Harmony and Co - existence. Wishing from our inner - most hearts that this Declaration will stand as an example, an inspiration and a blessing to all peoples beset with War and Strife and consequent sense of Distrust and Despair in other countries as well, we conclude this
Declaration.
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A P P E N D II x
SPECIAL RECOMMENDATION
Having witnessed during our life - time the manner in which countries where simple, peace-loving people lived, have become international battle fields mainly owing to the disintegration caused by political, tribal and religious differences, that brought about greater carnage than of last two World Wars, which also destroyed their cultures almost completely,
we are convinced that if the present degenerating trend evident in Sri Lanka be allowed to proceed further every possibility exists for a similar situation to befall this
island too.
We emphasize therefore, the Wisdom of taking immediately, the following steps.
Community Awakening
1. This People's Declaration for National Peace and
Harmony should be trilingually published island wide, in all newspapers and through other means of mass communication Such as Radio and Television.
2. This Declaration should be read out in every home,
school, religious institute, office, association, organisation and Voluntary institute and discussed in depth.
3. Every political party, relegating all narrow and ambitious goals, should honestly study this Declaration, keeping only Peace, Brotherhood and the Well-being of the people in mind.
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Page 16
Every Ministry, Department and Corporation should take action to give their officers an awareness of the contents of this Declaration. ,
All defence personnel in every Police Station and the Units of the Armed Forces should read, study and
understand the contents of this Declaration.
All institutes of learning like schools and universities; should encourage their pupils and students, as the case may be, to conduct Researches, Discussions Experiments and Competitions and to write essays
on the contents of this Declaration.
Writers, Composers, Artistes, Playwrights, Poets, etc, should be enthused to be creative according to their talents on ideas embodied in this Declaration,
While every religious shrine should be a place where
this Declaration is explained to its patrons, the
associated clergy should also organise Meditations, Sermons and Rites and Festivals on National Harmony as the theme.
People's Participation
26
The Sinhala Community should fearlessly and openly take the lead to provide protection, brotherhood, relief and rehabilitation to the Tamils who are rendered helpless.
Tamil communities should fearlessly take steps in their areas to provide protection and brotherhood to the Sinhala families affected during the conflicts of last July and earlier, and invite them back to where they were earlier and rehabilitate them.

Sinhala people living in villages neighbouring
Plantations where lndian Tamil communities live, should visit those Plantations under the leadership of the Buddhist monks, and provide them with protection, brotherhood, relief and rehabilitation services. C
The Sinhala Community should take steps to invite the affected Tamil people who lived in Sinhala areas back to those areas and to provide them with protection, brotherhood, relief and rehabilitation services.
Tamil people living permanently in majority Sinhala areas should publicly join with the Sinhala people. in a spirit of brotherhood to stabilise the unity of the Nation and the non-violent way of life of the people.
Tamil people living in the North and the East should encourage youth who are armed with weapons of destruction whatever reason may be to ground their arms and solve their problems non-violently and justly, in a Spirit of comradeship with their Sinhala brethren.
While personnel who serve in our Police and Defence Forces should realise that to treat those living in the North and the East, stricken with fear of a wellarmed and powerful though very small minority, in an unkind harmful and degrading way is a means of aggravating the problem, and that whether they be Sinhala, Tamil or of any other community, the basis for the performance of their duties should be the Law of Righteousness and the Law of the State, and that they should trust that this fact alone would help them a long way to solve problems.
t should also be pointed out that the officers as well as other personnel of the Police and Armed Forces are a part of the general public, serving the members
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Page 17
of the public themselves and hence, it should be
emphatically re-iterated that it is the duty of every citizen to render them co-operation and protection, irrespective of racial differences, so that they may adequately perform their duties.
Political Parties
1.
It is very necessary that all parties, including the one presently in power, realise that they are responsible
to varying degrees for the present degeneration and confusion in our Society.
It is necessary that the leaders and followers of parties realise the importance of preserving the value - systems, respecting and safe - guarding the Law of the Land, of the non - involvement in violent activities and of the non - defilement of the administration of justice.
Instead of protecting and encouraging lawless gangs which are a serious threat to the enforcement of State Law and the maintenance of Community Peace in the present Sri Lankan rural and urban sectors,
all responsible political parties should immediately
28
work out processes of giving them the correct guidance even with the help of the arm of the law to check their anti-social activities.
Thinking of the dis - unity and decadence brought about at village level by party politics, each political party, as a matter of principle, should give every support and encouragement for the emergence of impartial community leaders and development processes through voluntary organisations and Gramodaya Mandalas.
In solving the Sinhala - Tamil or any other problem of national importance priority should be given to

the Unitary Status of the Sri Lankan State, Peace and Co-existence of all communities, placing them above loyalties, to their own political parties, and they should be far - sighted enough to arrive at common agreements beneficial to the total community.
Realising the consequences of communal politics and accepting lofty principles based on human values, they should engage in political activities which ensure maximum People's Participation.
All political parties should appoint a panel of scholars
to make a deep study in order to establisha National Political System which guarantees People's Participation.
The State
l.
A Commission should be appointed with full powers vested to inquire into all cases where people lost their lives, received serious injuries and suffered destruction of property, the payment of adequate compensation, rehabilitation work etc, and to submit recommendations and to implement such recommendations. This commission should also be empowered to inquire similarly into such ethnic conflicts that took place earlier, making no reservation whether the victims be Sinhala or Tamil, and provide relief to the victims.
Steps should be taken towards the immediate removal of short-comings in the implementation of the Sinhala - Tamil Language Policy, so that a person will not face any difficulty in conducting his affairs with the Government owing to the language he speaks.
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A set of principles should be immediately promulgated to provide protection and permanent residences to Plantation workers of indian origin, as well as others who have lost employment and live in various parts of the Island with no permanent abode, and a permanent solution should be foun
for those without citizenship as well. '
Every step should be taken to ensure that when Defence Forces of the state act against those who flout the State Law and try to achieve their political ambitions by taking up arms, no harm is caused to the self- respect of the innocent public, their property or lives, in any form.
Special educational programmes should be conducted to provide the security forces with a deep understanding of the National Values, Moral Law and the Law of the Land, and to provide them with
a knowledge of Sinhala and Tamil languages.
People's Participation and Assistance should be sought for, in all Administrative, Organisational and Defence activities and for this purpose, the Government should secure the service and involve
ment of non - governmental organisations.
A more meaningful programme than the one available at present should be immediately drawn up so that those who are sentenced for imprisonment could gain proficiency in various skills, and their characters could be re - moulded for the better during the period of imprisonment.
When appointing individuals to Diplomatic Service as Ambassadors, Envoys etc, the Government should, in addition to other qualifications they possess, pay attention to their knowledge of the

10.
11.
National and Cultural history, Values and their sense of Patriotism.
An immediate rehabilitation programme should be launched for the benefit of the people who live in huts and shanties in towns, particularly in the city of Colombo.
A more beneficial but firm policy with regard to alcohol and narcotics should be pursued.
A strict control should be exercised on the exhibition of Theft, Crime, Sex, etc, by mass media such as newspapers, books, cartoon - papers, television and the cinema.
Education
l.
The education of Sinhala and Tamil children should be so organised from their young days, that they could acquire proficiency in both languages.
All children throughout the Island should have opportunities to gain admission to any school they prefer. In addition to the education they receive in their Mother Tongue, they should be given the opportunity to study certain subjects in English, Tamil or Sinhala according to their preferences.
Sinhala and Tamil classical texts that are beneficial to school children should be translated into Tamil and Sinhala respectively, and published.
All institutes of Higher Education and Universities should be made common educational institutes into which children of all races could gain admission.
Children studying at all educational levels should be taught and made to respect the principles of all
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religions, and spiritual experiences should be facilitated through inter-religious relationships fostered by activities such as collective meditation.
6. Children belonging to various religions and communities should be made to join together in common cultural and sports activities, so that from their young days, they would develop in their minds the feeling that they all belong to One Nation.
7. In each district and A.G.A.'s divisions, there should be institutions that grant education at three levelsPrimary, Intermediary and Advanced - where Sinhala Tamil and English languages are taught. These institutes could be organised by the Department of Education and Private Organisations.
8. The study of Pali and Sanskrit languages should
be revived. ܗܝ
9. Scholars of Sri Lanka should look into the feasibility of developing an Alphabet, perhaps similar to the Roman Alphabet, so that language learning could be made easier.
10. Children speaking Sinhala should spend one term in the homes of students speaking Tamil in the Tamil speaking areas, and vice versa. Community Service Programmes could be promoted so that National Unity could be fostered. Principals and Teachers should take leadership in providing these.
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Land - Residence - Occupation
1.
There should be no obstacle whatsoever for any citizen of Sri Lanka to buy land, live and practise an occupation in any locality of the island.
Sinhala and Tamil leaders should provide leadership in settling Sinhala and other families in areas where the majority are Tamils, on the acceptance of and invitation by the Tamils, and settling Tamil and other families in areas where the Sinhalas are in a majority, on the acceptance of and invitation by the Sinhalas.
Agricultural Centres and Industrial Units and such other self-employment generating centres should be organised on State Land for young men and women selected according to ethnic population ratios. These centres should have residential facilities, and have in them as leaders, individuals who are trained in promoting racial harmony.
May rains shower in due season And render the fields fertile May every heart be fully contented The state be just and the world benefit
Pubblished by:
The National Central Council for Peace and Harmony SARVODAYA HEADQUARTERs, DAMISAK MANDIRA. No. 98, Rawatawatte Road. Moratuwa,
Sri Lanka. Phone. 072 - 255
02 - 7.59

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