COLOMBO : In an Open Letter Addressed to Professor M. SelvarajahChancellor Eastern University of Sri Lanka, one of our readers A A M.Muzammil has said ; “Dear Sir,
Sub: Please reconsider inviting Prof. Meththika Vithanage to deliver the Keynote Speech.: We are pleased to note that the Faculty of Science is organizing the Annual Research Session at your University on 28th November 2024, under the theme ‘Scientific Approach to Overcoming Regional Challenges,’ with Professor Meththika Vithanage invited as the Keynote Speaker.
An exceptional keynote speaker has the power to touch hearts, awaken dormant dreams, and inspire individuals to pursue positive change. By sharing their personal journeys and triumphs, such speakers connect deeply with the audience on an emotional level.
Moreover, a keynote speaker should embody unblemished character and serve as a pillar of integrity, leaving a profound and lasting impact on all who listen.
Be that as it may, what continues to baffle me is the decision to select Meththika S. Vithanage as the keynote speaker for your Research Session 2024. Given the circumstances, isn’t this choice a travesty of justice?
Who, precisely, is Professor Meththika Vithanage? Is she genuinely a figure of high scientific integrity and respect? On the contrary, Prof. Vithanage, despite being a geologist with no expertise in virology, spearheaded a highly inflammatory and unfounded campaign targeting the Muslim community concerning the cremation of Muslim COVID-19 victims. This campaign was pursued relentlessly, even in the face of a well-established scientific consensus that COVID-19 is an airborne virus, not waterborne, and that viruses necessitate living cells to sustain themselves.
Prof. Meththika Vithanage significantly misled the government with ill intent, contrary to the consensus of several internationally recognized scientists. Experts such as Dr. Paba Palihawadanawa, Prof. Malik Peiris—an eminent Hong Kong-based Sri Lankan virologist known for isolating the SARS virus—Prof. Jennifer Perera, Dr. Tissa Vitharana, and other prominent members of the scientific community have publicly affirmed that COVID-19 victims could be buried safely, as the virus cannot survive outside a living host. This renders concerns about groundwater contamination, as suggested by Prof. Vithanage, unfounded.
As a consequence of Prof. Meththika Vithanage’s ill-conceived mandatory cremation policy, which disproportionately targeted the Muslim community, nearly 300 Muslims, including a 20-day-old infant, were subjected to the distressing practice of forced cremation. This policy not only profoundly violated their religious and cultural beliefs but also infringed upon their fundamental rights as guaranteed under the Constitution of Sri Lanka. This situation arose due to the influence of the so-called technical committee, of which Prof. Vithanage was a key member.
In light of these events, it is deeply troubling that the university has chosen to invite a figure whose actions have threatened communal harmony and coexistence. Given that this individual has become the focal point of a globally condemned scientific issue, it is inappropriate to grant them a platform for a keynote address.
The vision of the Eastern University of Sri Lanka is to “create opportunities to enrich the socio-economic, cultural, and human values of the regional and national community.” This statement clearly reflects a commitment to strengthening community bonds through cultural and human values.
The Muslims and Tamils in the Eastern Province have a longstanding history of peaceful coexistence. Therefore, extending an invitation to Prof. Meththika Vithanage, who has a proven track record of propagating hate crimes against the Muslim community, undermines this harmonious tradition and contradicts the university’s commitment to fostering unity and understanding.
I firmly believe that if the late K.W. Devanayakam, who nurtured a deep and enduring rapport with the Muslim community in Batticaloa and played a pivotal role in establishing EUSL, were alive today, he would unequivocally oppose the selection of Prof. Meththika Vithanage to deliver the keynote address.
I respectfully urge the management of EUSL to reconsider inviting such a controversial figure as Prof. Meththika Vithanage. Our goal should be to build bridges, not walls.
To draw a metaphor, this situation is akin to inviting a staunch racist to honour the statue of Mahatma Gandhi, the apostle of non-violence.”
