Govt to resettle Northern Muslim refugees evicted by LTTE

by P. Krishnaswamy

With the resettlement of the staggering 300,000 displaced people of the Northern province almost completed, the Government is now faced with another major task of resettling the Muslim refugees who were driven away at gun point by the LTTE terrorists in October 1990. Their number is about 150,000. They are living as refugees in Puttalam and other Southern areas. The recent protest demonstrations staged by them in Colombo and many other parts of the country demanding their resettlement in their homes and properties abandoned 22 years ago in the Northern province has drawn the focus of the Government and Muslim political leaders.

Minister of Resettlement Gunaratne Weerakoon, Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) General Secretary M.T. Hasan Ali MP, All Ceylon People's Congress (ACPC) leader, Minister Rishad Bathuideen and National Congress (NC) National Organiser and former Minister of Eastern PC Uthuma Lebbe expressed their views to the Sunday Observer on the issue.

Their views and the background of situation leading to the unending miseries of the Muslim refugee families is presented here.Minister of Resettlement Gunaratne Weerakoon: "The Government is doing everything for the speedy resettlement of those among the Muslim refugees who want to go back to their former places in the Northern Province. Many of them have to do a lot of documentation because they do not possess legal documents to prove their ownership of their houses or properties. The local government authorities have been advised to help them in these matters."

Leader of the All Ceylon People's Congress (ACPC) Minister Rishad Bathuideen: "The government is doing everything for the resettlement of these families. Since this is a major task the international community, including the Middle East countries, should extend their assistance. The Muslim refugees who staged demonstrations in Colombo demanding their early resettlement in their former places have submitted a memorandum to the President requesting for the appointment of a Special Commission to expedite the resettlement".

Beggar's wound

SLMC General Secretary M.T. Hasan Ali MP: "It is very unfortunate that we are still only talking of this issue and nothing concrete has been done. They want to go back to their former places in the Northern Province. For some it is like the 'beggar's wound'. It is more than two decades since they were expelled.

All political parties representing the Muslim community should voice uniformly, shedding their political differences, insisting on the resettlement of these families. Since this is a humanitarian problem all local communities of the respective areas should forget their religious and communal differences to help the displaced Muslim families to resettle. The Government should appoint a Special Task Force (STF) unit for the expeditious resettlement of the families."Uthuma Lebbe, former Minister of the Eastern PC and National Organiser of the National Congress (NC) led by Minister A.L.M.Athaullah:

"Steps should be taken to resettle as early as possible all those refugees who want to go back to their former places in the Northern Province. The party High Command (HC) took a unanimous decision at its recent meeting in Akkaraipattu to request the President to take a resolute decision on this issue. The meeting was chaired by our leader Minister Athaullah."

The happenings leading the untold miseries and ordeals of the Northern Muslims began in the mid 90s under the fascist regime of the LTTE. On October 30, 1990 at the peak of its terror and fascism, the LTTE drove away the entire Muslim population of the Northern province at gun point under its so called 'ethnic cleansing program' at short notice after stripping them of all their belongings and properties, including their lands and houses and allowing them no clothes for change, no legal documents and no money except Rs.500 for each family.

On October 28, 1989 the LTTE ordered the entire Muslim population of Mannar - 7,600 families comprising 36,000 persons - to leave. A year later, on October 30, 1990 over 75,000 Muslims of Jaffna were given two hours to leave. Muslim families in the entire Northern Province were evicted in this manner.

The LTTE announced over the loudspeakers in the streets and villages of Muslim settlements that they must quit their homes, villages and towns leaving behind all their valuables, properties and money or face death. While Muslims of all areas of the North were given 48 hours to leave, those of them from the Jaffna town were given only two hours to leave.

These unfortunate families who lived in many parts of the Northern province for several generations in harmony and brotherhood with the Tamil communities, assimilating their linguistic and cultural traditions, had to trek through jungle terrains encountering many hazards and ordeals with their hearts heavy and the minds vague.

About 82 percent of them are living as refugees in Puttalam while the rest are living in a scattered manner in Anuradhapura, Kurunegala, Negombo, Colombo, Panadura and other Southern areas.With the natural increase the present number of the Muslim refugees driven away from the five Northern districts and presently living as refugees in the Southern parts is 150,000, according to recent census report.

Many programs

The UPFA government launched many programs for their social and economic well being, including infrastructure facilities, housing schemes and livelihood facilities. Several INGOs and NGOs have also been working towards improving the living standards of these families and providing them assistance.With the elimination of the LTTE in May 2009, the Government took steps to resettle them in the places of their origin (the places from where they were evicted).

But this process was delayed because priority had to be given for the resettlement of the nearly 300,000 families who were displaced during the operations against the LTTE terrorists. They were housed in welfare centres in Vavuniya and other places as displaced refugees. Their resettlement in their places of origin has now almost been completed.

According to a recent report 15,321 families have been resettled in 59 villages in the Mannar district. 1,046 families have been resettled in seven villages in the Vavuniya district. 2,744 families have been resettled in 11 villages in the Mullaitivu district, 2,047 families in eight villages in the Jaffna district and 976 families in three villages in the Kilinochchi district.