HindustanTimes.com

Wednesday, September 24, 2003

Lankan Muslims arming against LTTE: Chandrika

Press Trust of India
Colombo, September 24

Sri Lanka President Chandrika Kumaratunga on Wednesday warned that the
island's minority Muslim community was arming itself against Tamil Tiger
rebels.

Kumaratunga's spokesman Harim Peiris blamed the government for the rising
militancy of the Muslim community in the island's multi-ethnic eastern
province.

"The last thing we need is another holy or religious war," Peiris told
reporters here. "They are seeking to procure, and some of them are procuring
weapons, maybe locally or overseas."

"Muslims are concerned about the inaction of the state. Young people are
beginning to be restive at the failure of the government to provide
security," he said.

Peiris said the militancy was growing because Prime Minister Ranil
Wickremesinghe's government had failed to maintain law and order in the
eastern province.

Peiris, however, declined to say to what extent the Muslims had armed
themselves or give details of the sources of their weapons, but said
President Kumaratunga had her own intelligence sources.

Muslims in Sri Lanka are considered a distinct ethnic community apart from
being a religious group and are the second largest minority after Tamils.

© Hindustan Times Ltd. 2003.
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