Colombo: The Muslim community which
co-exists peacefully with other communities in Sri Lanka's
Jaffna, Vavuniya and Mannar districts was deprived of freedom
by the vanquished LTTE, President Mahinda Rajapaksa has said.
Rajapaksa, who was addressing Muslim women at his
official residence here yesterday, said the community was
subjected to LTTE's ethnic cleansing in the three northern
districts in the 1990s.
"LTTE terrorists attempted to shatter the amity
between communities by chasing away Muslims living in
Mullaitivu, Jaffna, Vavuniya and Mannar districts," he said.
The displaced Muslims are now living in refugee camps
in Puttalam district, the President said, adding that a
resettlement drive is going on and they will be rehabilitated
soon, state-owned Daily News reported today.
"The bond between communities is very strong. A number
of development projects have been implemented in the Northern
Province under the Uthuru Vasanthaya," Rajapaksa said.
This has also been outlined in the Mahinda Chintana, a
development programme launched by the government, he said.
The expulsion of Tamil-speaking Muslims from Jaffna by
the LTTE began in the early 1990s, with the terrorist outfit
aiming to achieve the goal of creating a mono-ethnic Tamil
state in northern Sri Lanka.
Bureau Report
First Published: Friday, November 06, 2009, 16:39