🕊️ National Peace Council Calls for Unity Amid Controversy

• Context & Concerns: The National Peace Council (NPC) has highlighted two sensitive events—the death sentence of Sri Lankan citizen Sivarasa Anojan in Saudi Arabia and the police removal of the Thileepan memorial statue in Jaffna—warning against them becoming deep-seated communal grievances. • Anojan Clemency Case: • NPC welcomed clemency appeals made by political, Hindu, Buddhist, Christian, and Muslim leaders. • Stressed that protecting a citizen's life is a collective national concern and urged leaders to prevent anti-Muslim sentiment or collective blame. • Thileepan Memorial Issue: • A statue commemorating Thileepan, who died during a 1987 hunger strike, was removed by police on 27 September due to legal prohibitions against LTTE-associated commemorations. • NPC noted the deep Tamil anguish and historical grief tied to the event, urging government engagement through the Office for Reparations Act (No. 34 of 2018) framework. • Key Recommendation: Drawing parallels to the ruling JVP/NPP's own history of post-proscription memorialization, NPC advocated for lawful, equitable memorial rights across all communities to prevent future ethnic divisions.