BY Eric A. B. Fernando A.C.M.A

In a society, it would be rare to find people who have complete compatibility between them. Ven Soma Thero is a rare buddhist monk who preached what he felt was right and practiced what he preached. In the process he developed a large base of followers, who had partial or total compatibility. As you would expect,he simultaneously created, in the process, a set of people, who had views that were totally incompatible.

I have combed many of his preachings (cassettes) and can not trace even an element of malice towards any one who did not see eye to eye with him. However, he was brutally hard on those who attempted to convert buddhists to Christianity using methods that are condemned by right thinking people. Just as much as any religious leader had people with a desire to destroy them, Ven Soma Thero was no exception, and there were people, fortunately few, whose only ambition was to silent him.

The more they tried to silent him. more determined he became. He did not spare any body and he did not mix his words. He called a spade a spade.

Jesus was crucified by people who sang hosanna when he entered the city of Jerusalem. In my opinion, Ven Soma Thero faced a similar situation in being led to believe that there were Christian reverends who hailed him as a personality on whom honor should be conferred. He never thought, that a wolf can be dressed in sheep's clothes.

As I have often stated it is not necessary to agree with a person to respect him or honor him. Similarly, we might admire a person for his consistency of principles even though we may not entirely agree with him

Ven Soma Thero was one such personality, who had a rare ability to communicate his thoughts using simple words and his followers multiplied in a geometric progression. Of course, he was considered a controversial character but such criticism did not deter him. As much as any other, he may have had some deficiencies but as a whole he was the perfect priest that the sinhala nation could least afford to lose at this moment.

If Soma Thero should be criticised,let any body do so. No one will be offended by such criticism. If they do so openly disclosing their identities we would either accept their criticism (less probable) or reply accordingly (more probable). When they hide their identities and attempt to tarnish Soma Theros by linking his name to drugs that are sex stimulants, it is a reflection of a perverted mind.

This is precisely the case today, where two web sites http://www.buys soma1.com/gangodawila_soma.html advertised a pill at a cost of US $80 for sixty 325mg tablets. A criminal lawyer contacted them over the toll free number. A man named Richard who answered did not know head or tail of drugs. He was worried whether the caller was from FBI. These toll free numbers work only in the United States. This Internet pharmacy is no doubt illegal. They even sell Viagara on the web and this can even lead to death if used by the wrong person. Many illegal operations are fearlessly carried out in the states and US is not a paradise as some of our politicians often think.

If my recollection is right some British MP's wrote to the government quite recently requesting that Christians be protected. Their concern is justified. The reverse of the argument also hold good. It is a pathetic situation for the sinhala buddhists to witness the extent of abuse levelled on this Thero.

How far can this type of conduct be tolerated? How far can the buddhists be expected to tolerate this indecency. How long can they remain patient? How long can they remain fools?

There is much that the government can do which we in our individual capacity can not do. There is no evidence to show that the GOSL has lodged any protest with the US authorities. I am afraid, that their silence constitutes a tacit approval

I have been getting over 100 mails from a Yahoo address containing three nudes each as attachments. I have been getting death threats. I have been getting stinking filthy mails.

A person of high integrity was targeted yesterday by a hacker attack. His browser was hyjacked by one smartseeker.com and he was directed to one "Soma" html. "Adaware" the cleaning utility he had for spy ware was disabled and the desktop screen was also made un functional.

Some Mangoes look ripe and they are ripe. Others do not look look ripe but they are ripe. Some others are neither ripe nor do they look ripe.Some others, look ripe but are not ripe.

The Christian missionaries are neither ripe nor do they look ripe. It is time for the government to spell out their outlook on the matter and state clearly how they propose to arrest this deteriorating situation. If they fail, we will soon have "AMBA CHUTNEY"

Eric Fernando A.C.M.A., A.T.F.A.
25/28A, Weerakoon Gardens, Kandy
Telephone ; 0814-471136 and 077-7258145