An Independent and Interactive Tamil Community Web Site

19-09-2006

Muslims shut shops, offices in eastern Sri Lanka to protest massacre

The Associated PressPublished: September 19, 2006

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka Sri Lanka's main Muslim political party on Tuesday demanded an impartial investigation into the killing of 10 civilians, as residents in parts of the east shut shops and offices to protest the killings that some blame on the government.

The mutilated bodies of 10 Muslim laborers were found in a jungle area near Pottuvil town, 250 kilometers (155 miles) east of Colombo, on Monday. The men were repairing an irrigation system when they were attacked, said chief military spokesman Brig. Prasad Samarasinghe.

Residents accuse the government's special police unit of carrying out the killings, while the government blames separatist Tamil Tiger rebels.

"The people have called for a peaceful protest demanding an impartial inquiry," said Rauff Hakeem, a lawmaker for Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, the main political party representing Muslims.

Hakeem said the protesters have also demanded the chief of the police's Special Task Force be transferred, saying he could be an obstacle to a fair investigation.

He said his party had not directly accused the STF of killing the civilians, but had asked the government to look at all possibilities and not blindly blame the Tigers.

The government's security spokesman, Keheliya Rambukwella, told reporters that the killings had the "hallmarks" of the rebels, but promised a thorough investigation.

He said the police were being blamed by some people "without concrete evidence."

Muslims are Sri Lanka's second-largest minority after ethnic Tamils, who are mostly Hindu, and generally oppose the Tamil Tiger rebels, who are fighting to carve out a separate homeland for the Tamils.

The guerrillas have accused Muslims of supporting the government. The rebels also oppose Muslims cultivating land in areas they consider Tamil territory.

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka Sri Lanka's main Muslim political party on Tuesday demanded an impartial investigation into the killing of 10 civilians, as residents in parts of the east shut shops and offices to protest the killings that some blame on the government.

The mutilated bodies of 10 Muslim laborers were found in a jungle area near Pottuvil town, 250 kilometers (155 miles) east of Colombo, on Monday. The men were repairing an irrigation system when they were attacked, said chief military spokesman Brig. Prasad Samarasinghe.

Residents accuse the government's special police unit of carrying out the killings, while the government blames separatist Tamil Tiger rebels.

"The people have called for a peaceful protest demanding an impartial inquiry," said Rauff Hakeem, a lawmaker for Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, the main political party representing Muslims.

Hakeem said the protesters have also demanded the chief of the police's Special Task Force be transferred, saying he could be an obstacle to a fair investigation.

He said his party had not directly accused the STF of killing the civilians, but had asked the government to look at all possibilities and not blindly blame the Tigers.

The government's security spokesman, Keheliya Rambukwella, told reporters that the killings had the "hallmarks" of the rebels, but promised a thorough investigation.

He said the police were being blamed by some people "without concrete evidence."

Muslims are Sri Lanka's second-largest minority after ethnic Tamils, who are mostly Hindu, and generally oppose the Tamil Tiger rebels, who are fighting to carve out a separate homeland for the Tamils.

The guerrillas have accused Muslims of supporting the government. The rebels also oppose Muslims cultivating land in areas they consider Tamil territory.

Source-Herald Tribune