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| Saturday, 13 December 2003 |
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"No basis for homeland claim" All Ceylon Muslim League response to LTTE proposals for settlement of the ethnic problem. The All Ceylon Muslim League views with grave concern the twenty years of death and destruction has produced nothing new but "Eelam". The proposal as expressed in the preamble - "Determined to establish an Interim Self-Government Authority for the North East region and to provide for urgent needs of the people of the North East by formulating laws and policies and effectively and expeditiously executing all resettlement, rehabilitation, reconstruction, and development in the North East, while the process for reaching a final settlement remains on going". In other words this interim administration is not the end but more discussion has to take place for the final settlement. What we wish to ask is what more is left for discussion? The preamble speaks of the history of the relations between the Sinhalese and the Tamils. Let us ask about the relations between the Government and the LTTE as the Tamils living in the Sinhalese areas had no complaint for their condition of living amid the Sinhalese. It is true that the Sinhalese in 1957, 1977, and 1983 went berserk to the point of inhuman behaviour, but the Sinhalese have restrained themselves in responding to the massacres carried out by the Tamils subsequently. The Tamils carried out organised massacre of the innocent women and children while they were asleep. We can understand that they were in revenge for the 1983 events but how long will the Tamils continue this. We can consider their meeting the army challenge but the women and children who were massacred in sleep sometimes woman's stomach being cut open with the head of the expectant baby jutting out. What was the reason to have taken the Muslims into battle? What had these innocent poor Muslims who were living in the borders of Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa done to be treated so inhumanely? The Tamils began systematically massacring the Muslims who were in bed at night. A Muslim lady's stomach was cut open with a sword and the expectant baby's head was seen popping out. The Tamils were calling the Muslims as Tamil speaking brothers and they claimed that they were fighting their cause as well. Why did the LTTE carryout the ethnic cleansing against Muslims of the Jaffna Peninsula, Mannar ad Mullaitivu? Over 90,000 Muslims are refugees out in Puttalam, and in the rest of the country. They did not run away but stayed put in Sri Lanka. When Prabhakaran apologized for the ethnic cleansing carried out against the Muslims in the North we were under the impression that the Tamils had changed their attitude towards the Muslims but the Tamils continued massacre of the Muslims in the East and the absence of any attempt to encourage the Muslims back to their homes is a definite sign that Muslims are earmarked for further ethnic cleansing. Under Article 1 it is provided that 'Representatives of the Muslim community have the right to participate in the formation of their role in the ISGA. The LTTE has provided under Article 2.3 "The number of members will be determined to ensure 2.3a. An absolute majority of the LTTE appointees in the GOSL. "This is against all forms of Democracy practiced in the World. We do not think it is necessary to lay out the sufferings and the losses suffered by the Muslims now. We are prepared to give all the documented proof of the loss and devastation caused by the LTTE on the Muslims. Let us come down to the basic problem of the population figures in the Eastern Province. We give below the population figures based on the 2000 census: The above figures prove beyond any doubt that the Muslims and the Sinhalese have a two third majority in the Eastern Province. Therefore the whole world can see that the Tamil claim of homeland in the Eastern Province is false and fictitious. We appeal to the World body the United Nations and the Monitoring Mission to confront the LTTE and settle for separate Northern Province and separate Eastern Province. On no condition can the Muslims accept the amalgamated North East region as a unit for devolution of power, after the sufferings we have gone through in Ethnic cleansing, deprivation of our properties and cattle, and businesses. |
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