Sri Lankan Communal Clashes Pose Threat to Peace Process: Muslim Leader

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Saturday, June 29, 2002

Sri Lankan Communal Clashes Pose Threat to Peace Process: Muslim Leader

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Leader of Sri Lanka's main political party for the minority Muslim community Rauf Hakeem Saturday said that inter-communal clashes between the Muslims and the Tamils have posed a serious threat to the Norwegian-backed peace process.

The clashes between the Muslims and Tamils in the multi-ethnic eastern area of the country since Tuesday left five people dead and over 150 injured.

Hakeem, Minister of Ports and Shipping in the government in addition to his position as the leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), said "Muslims fear 1990 Jaffna type situation in the eastern province. The people in Batticaloa feels that there is an attempt to ethnically cleanse them."

He was referring to the chasing away of some 100,000 Muslims by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels from the northern Jaffna peninsula 12 years ago.

Hakeem said that more than 10,000 people had been displaced over four days of clashes and the destruction of property belonging to Muslims in mob attacks have raised fears that there was an attempt to undermine the Muslim wealth.

He blamed the LTTE rebels for the clashes and said that the incidents were in breach of his agreement with the LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran.

Hakeem and Prabhakaran in April entered into a landmark agreement in which the LTTE assured that the harassment of Muslims by the LTTE in the east would stop.

The Muslim leader appealed to the LTTE rebels to help maintain law and order thereby ensuring that the Norwegian backed peace process is not harmed.

The government on Friday slammed a round the clock curfew in the east to prevent further clashes between the Muslims and the Tamils after arson attacks which left several shops and homes destroyed.

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