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The following are my thoughts in terms of guiding the community members to be able to handle the current unjust situation regarding the forced cremation of bodies assumed to be #COVID infected.
Please let me know your thoughts and also please share among known community leaders.
Please let me know your thoughts and also please share among known community leaders.
Duties of the Community Leaders in the civic fight for Justice in upholding Burial rights in Sri Lanka
கொரோனா தொற்றினால் மரணமடைந்து, கட்டாயப்படுத்தி தகனம் செய்யப்பட்டவர்கள் நினைவாக, சமூகத்தின் கடமைகள் என்ன?
கொரோனா தொற்றினால் மரணமடைந்து, கட்டாயப்படுத்தி தகனம் செய்யப்பட்டவர்கள் நினைவாக, சமூகத்தின் கடமைகள் என்ன?
According to the Gazette notification by Health Minister which was not permitted to be challenged by the Supreme Court, If your family member dies & if authorities suspect Corona, an arbitrary & baseless decision has been made to cremate them by not permitting them to be buried.
2 options:
You can go as per the Gazette and sign your consent to cremate and pay the government 58,000 for the expenses. Still the immediate family members will not be able see the body or have the body at home as they will most likely be quarantined based on Corona suspicions.
You can go as per the Gazette and sign your consent to cremate and pay the government 58,000 for the expenses. Still the immediate family members will not be able see the body or have the body at home as they will most likely be quarantined based on Corona suspicions.
And, the second option is to refuse to sign the consent for cremation and not to pay any charges associated to the forced cremation.
This is an option if your family members are willing to take the struggle for justice in an exemplary manner like some families have already done
This is an option if your family members are willing to take the struggle for justice in an exemplary manner like some families have already done
If you choose to boycott cremation by not signing the consent or not making the cremation payments, it is a democratic and non-violent protest as a citizen.
Nobody can force you to sign and it is purely your choice.
However...
Nobody can force you to sign and it is purely your choice.
However...
However, it can be done only with family members agreeing to bear some pain and do a sacrifice by abandoning the deceased body as a protest against the unreasonable and baseless decision t force cremation on Muslim (and Catholic citizens).
If a family does this great sacrifice in the name of justice for the greater good of our beloved Sri Lanka to be a non-racist, non-discriminatory country; the community leaders must do the following to support them.
3 areas to focus:
3 areas to focus:
01.
Lets have a mechanism to collect name, age, sex, address and closest relative contact of the deceased person for documentation of such people who were cremated without the consent of the family and to not forget them in years to come.
Lets always remember those who fought
Lets have a mechanism to collect name, age, sex, address and closest relative contact of the deceased person for documentation of such people who were cremated without the consent of the family and to not forget them in years to come.
Lets always remember those who fought
02.
Create a local community level resource person pool of religious / faith leaders and professionals for psycho-social counseling for the family members so that they are supported by the wider community in their contribution towards the fight for justice.
Lets show solidarity
Create a local community level resource person pool of religious / faith leaders and professionals for psycho-social counseling for the family members so that they are supported by the wider community in their contribution towards the fight for justice.
Lets show solidarity
03.
Set up a "Garden in Memory of Sacrifice" (தியாக நினைவு பூங்கா / පරිත්යාගයේ මතක උයන) area in the main burial grounds of the local areas where a Tree will be planted and/or a plaque with name to honour & remember them by their family members and others in years to come;
Set up a "Garden in Memory of Sacrifice" (தியாக நினைவு பூங்கா / පරිත්යාගයේ මතක උයන) area in the main burial grounds of the local areas where a Tree will be planted and/or a plaque with name to honour & remember them by their family members and others in years to come;
Such sacrifice must not be forgotten for generations even if this unfair decision of arbitrary cremation is reversed in future at some point.
Should keep engaging with local political leaders & help mobilization to support this non-violent, civic, democratic struggle for justice
Should keep engaging with local political leaders & help mobilization to support this non-violent, civic, democratic struggle for justice
