Calling for immediate resettling of IDPs:

‘Ranil as PM refused to resettle Muslims’

Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe has suddenly taken a liking for the displaced persons in the North, he wants them resettled immediately. This could be done if the areas are cleared of all landmines and battas, said former Minister of Muslim Affairs and Presidential Advisor A. H. M. Azwer.

He said, the question that should be asked from him is why he failed to add a condition in that Peace agreement he signed with his friend Velupillai Prabhakaran for the removal of these landmines from the North. When he is asking for resettlement of these people, he is only asking them to be killed due to the presence of these dangerous materials. Then it is he who should be taken before an international war tribunal not anyone else.

Azwer was addressing election rallies organised by the Janatha Eksath Nidahas Sandanaya at Kaluwella-Thanipolgaha junction, Pelawatte, Gintota and Godawatte. Lionel Premasiri, Deputy Minister of Social Welfare presided.

He said, when he was Prime Minister he refused to move a finger to resettle a single Muslim who were chased out overnight from Jaffna. Not only this process has begun by the Mahinda Rajapaksa regime, but also 50,000 Muslims chased out of Muttur were well-resettled with all infrastructure provided within 44 days - just before Ramazan in 2007. The Muslim community can never again be fooled by Wickremesinghe.

Azwer contended that the Muslims have not fully-awakened to the truth to understand they no more should vote for the UNP. This was evident during the recent Uva PC elections when the traditional Muslim bases voted enblock to the Sandanaya candidates which contributed immensely for the record majority polled for the UPFA.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa is a true friend of the Muslim community, and he is being hailed a great leader by leaders of the Muslim-Arab world. “When I had the good fortune of joining the delegation of the President in visiting several Muslim countries and the Non-Aligned Conference in Egypt, I was awe struck to realise how much those countries respect and revere him.

Two definite questions they posed to find out was how President Rajapaksa defeated the most brutal terrorist outfit in the world, and, how he was able to initiate such mega development project in Sri Lanka, Azwer said.

The Muslims in the South, particularly, are a strong patriotic lot, and even in the fight against the Portuguese army they added their blood with that of the Sinhala people, as history record the Nilwala Ganga turned into a Rathuwala ganga. They have shown bravery and courage in the past, and in the spirit they would sure throw their lot with the most valiant leader in the South, Mahinda Rajapaksa, who has fully united this country and brought everlasting peace, he said.

On October 10, the Southern Province would produce another stunning world record by polling the highest average ever recorded in the election history of this country, Azwer said.