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PM orders crackdown
in east He has told top brass of the Security Forces and Police that their personnel deployed in the East should arrest such persons irrespective of their political or religious affiliations. Premier Wickremesinghe's directive is intended not only to ensure the speedy restoration of normalcy in the East but also to make sure the incidents do not in any way mar the ongoing peace process. The "Peace Secretariat" in the Premier's Office on Friday conveyed to the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission Chief, Gen. Trond Furuhovde, the strict orders that have been issued to crack down on violence and restore normalcy. He was asked to convey it to leaders of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Later on Friday night, Major General Sunil Tennekoon, General Officer Commanding (GOC), met Vishu, described as number two in the LTTE's Political Wing, to work out immediate measures for normalcy. Sri Lanka Muslim Congress leader Rauff Hakeem has also been apprised of the situation. Four days of violence between Tamil and Muslim mobs in the East have left at least six persons dead and nearly 100 injured. More than 85 houses and other properties were damaged. The districts of Batticaloa and Ampara remained under a curfew from Friday. It was lifted in the Ampara district yesterday. TULF General Secretary R. Sampanthan accused a Muslim group calling itself Osama of starting the incidents. He said the Muslim group had clashed with another group in a Catholic village over damage caused to a cross. Later, an LTTE office had also been damaged. "The incident grew out of proportion leading to communal violence," he told The Sunday Times. "We cannot allow a few people to disrupt the peace in the area. We want the culprits to be brought to book," he said. SLMC leader Rauff Hakeem blamed some forces in the South who he alleged were out to disturb the peace process. He charged that they were "using the beleaguered and hapless Muslims to achieve their ends." Mr Hakeem blamed the LTTE for what he called "jockeying for positions" and added that the guerrillas were "certainly in a position to control all this." He complained there was a "sinister design to disturb the Muslim economy" and pointed out that Muslims had to pay taxes to the LTTE if they were to engage in fishing. Mr. Hakeem who visited the affected areas in the east last afternoon was due to brief the Prime Minister about the situation later in the night. Expressing deep concern over the developments in the east, President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga yesterday called on the people to exercise restraint. "Tolerance and respect for each other are vital for establishing a lasting peace. It is vital that citizens belonging to all communities remain unprovocative during times of tension such as these," she said in a statement. The President emphasized that the prevailing situation reiterated the necessity for working towards a solution where lasting peace could be achieved with honour, dignity and respect, while preserving the rights of all citizens irrespective of their race, religion and community. Interior Minister
John Amaratunga who visited the violence-stricken areas in Mutur
on Thursday said the Government believed there was a hidden hand
behind the string of violence. He said a CID team had been detailed
to probe all aspects. |
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