Protests for Muslim IDP justice

Protests were held in many parts of the country yesterday by the Muslim community requesting justice and solutions for their displaced members (IDPs), a considerable number of the IDPs being in the Northern Province.  

The Colombo demonstrators thereafter proceeded to hand over a special petition to this end to President Mahinda Rajapaksa. The petition was received by the officials at the President’s office from M Junaid, President, Islamic Theologians Council of Mannar.

The Petition states:

“As your Excellency is aware the Northern Province was cleansed of Muslims by the LTTE in 1990 in order to make the North a mono ethnic region following their policy to declare Tamil Ealem. Having languished well over two decades away from their homes these Northern Muslims Victims have now started returning from their suffering in refugee camps in Puttalam and other districts to their original places of abode following the dawn of peace with the defeat of the LTTE under your farsighted leadership. However, LTTE sympathisers who include certain so called religious dignitaries and high state officials in their attempt to resurrect the LTTE by their organised activities locally and abroad are all-out to stymie the resettlement of the battered Muslim Victims in line with the policies of the LTTE. The Mannar/Uppukulam episode which is a product of their strategy to achieve their end has, as the unfolding events now reveal, contained within itself a sinister plan to eliminate the singular voice of the Northern Muslims – Minister Rishad Bathiudeen. Unfortunately sections of the Media that had until the elimination of terrorism functioned under the sponsorship of the vested interested group have contributed enormously to print a picture with respect to the Mannar incident which is opposite the truth. In this regard we are annexing a copy of the letter addressed to the Bar Association of Sri Lanka by the Board of Trustees and members of the Jamath of Al Azhar Jummah Masjid which gives a vivid picture of events that led to the Mannar incident and the controversial conduct of the Mannar magistrate which created the mayhem. Thanks to the police on whom saner counsel prevailed thus avoiding loss of life. It is astonishing to note that notwithstanding the situation created in Mannar which is now public knowledge with video proof no action has been initiated against the Magistrate by the authorities, whereas a lot of noise has been made with regard to the one sided allegation mage by the Judge whose conduct has come into question. Under these circumstances we appeal to your Excellency to appoint a Commission of Inquiry into the whole episode in Mannar on the 18 July and events and incidents thereafter. We also humbly urge that 13 innocent Muslims be released on humanitarian grounds who were arrested without any fair reason. We also appeal your Excellency to put in place an effective mechanism to expeditiously resettle the Northern Muslims.”