Wednesday, Jul 10, 2002
Wednesday, Jul 10, 2002 |
| International | ||
|
News:
Front Page |
National |
Southern States |
Other States |
International |
Opinion |
Business |
Sport |
Miscellaneous |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Obituary | International
By V.S. Sambandan
During the day, the Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, also held two meetings with key Muslim leaders and assured them that steps would be taken to ensure the security of the Muslims living in the eastern part of the country. While the pandemonium in Parliament ended with the Defence Minister, Tilak Marapane, agreeing to make a statement "in a day or two", the meetings between Mr. Wickremesinghe and the Muslim leaders resulted in assurances by the Government that the security of the Muslims would be ensured. When the 225-member Parliament met for the first time since last month's Tamil-Muslim clashes, the Leader of the Opposition, Mahinda Rajapakse, attacked the Government for not checking the eastern escalation. As the east, with its ethnic mix, was unlike other parts of the island, "de-stabilising the east will cause instability in all other regions", he said. Though the Opposition leader did not expect a reply, the JVP demanded one from a "responsible member of the Cabinet". Rauff Hakeem, Minister for Eastern Development and Muslim Religious Affairs, who expressed willingness to do so, could not proceed as the Speaker, M.J. Perera, ruled that Mr. Rajapakse had not asked for a reply and moved on to the next point on the Order Paper. Angry JVP MPs swarmed the well of the House, demanding a statement. As has been their practice in the past on sensitive issues, they carried placards condemning the "escalation in the east" and blamed it on the "Ranil-Tiger agreement". Parliament was then suspended, and the Speaker met key political leaders. When the proceedings resumed, the JVP MP, Wimal Weerawansa, charged the Tigers with executing their "second ethnic cleansing". "Now the Muslims have been attacked; next it will be the Sinhalese," he said, adding that the eastern troubles were a part of the LTTE's plans to "form its Eelam". The Opposition MP, Anura Bandaranaike, demanded that the Government specify when it would make its statement and termed the eastern situation "a time-bomb waiting to explode". Today's pandemonium in Parliament is an indication of the impact the Muslim factor can have on the conflict resolution process. Coming as it does during a fragile ceasefire and ahead of a key de-escalation deadline — the withdrawal of all Government troops from schools — the present upsurge, unless managed with political acumen, can disrupt the peace process. The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, which is a key ally of the ruling United National Party, has criticised parts of the ceasefire agreement as the Muslims in the east feel that it was loaded in the favour of the Tigers.
Printer friendly
page
News:
Front Page |
National |
Southern States |
Other States |
International |
Opinion |
Business |
Sport |
Miscellaneous |
|
|
|
The Hindu Group: Home | About Us | Copyright | Archives | Contacts | Subscription Group Sites: The Hindu | Business Line | The Sportstar | Frontline | Home |
Copyright © 2002, The
Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of
this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of
The Hindu
|
