<b>The Dark Forces behind the recent Tamil- Muslim Clashes.</b>

Saba

By Saba - From Valaichchenai, Sri Lanka, July 3: Tension is still noticeable in this eastern coastal town, the scene of violent Tamil –Muslim clashes that left eleven dead, over 150 injured, about 50 of them seriously, and more than a hundred shops and houses burned or damaged.

There were only a few people on the main road, some of them owners and employees of the burned out shops, inspecting what were left of their once bristling business concerns. The 4-day curfew clamped when rioting broke out on June 28 was lifted yesterday (July 2).

"I am ruined,” moaned Sinnathamby Karthikeyan, a Tamil and a grocery trader, who had invested his entire life-savings in his business.

On the other section of the main road, Mohammed Hassim, the Muslim, related a similar story. He was standing with an uncertain look in his face, at the burned out shell of his shop.

Tamils and Muslims live and trade in different sections of this fishery harbor town, 32 kilometers north of Batticaloa. Heavily armed soldiers are keeping them apart.

“Yesterday (Tuesday) too they were about to fight. We separated them,” a soldier said. He was referring to an incident that happened on the Muslim section of the town. Two Tamil boys had cycled through the Muslim section and some Muslim youths had snatched their bicycles and chased them back to the Tamil sector

Timely arrival of the army, averted a clash. Soldiers recovered the bicycles and returned them to their owners.

LTTE GUARANTEE

“The clash, the worst in recent years, had hurt both communities. We have to learn a lesson from it. The lesson is to avoid such a clash in the future,” said Bishop Rt. Rev. Kingsley Swampillai, who is leading a campaign to restore Tamil- Muslim amity.

His campaign seem to have born fruit, as Karikalan, LTTE’s chief political organizer for the Batticaloa district, guaranteed safety to the Muslims, at today’s peace meeting, held at Charles Hall in the Batticaloa town. “You are free to enter Tamil areas. We assure you your security,” he said.

In Batticaloa and other areas in the East, Tamils and Muslims live in separate villages with their own religious and educational facilities.

Turning to Major-General Sunil Tennakkoon, the military commander of the Batticaloa district, who played an active role in defusing the tension and who organized today’s peace meeting, Karikalan said: “We who fought for two decades are now talking peace. Why can’t we who talk the same language talk peace?”

Deputy Minister Basheer Segu Dawood, a senior leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, whose leader Rauff Hakeem, a Minister in the present Government, responded positively. He said: “In the past we have had peace arrangements. They failed. This time it will definitely hold. The difference is the LTTE. It has given a guarantee and we are certain that will hold.”

Major-General Sunil Tennakkoon, who presided, said, “LTTE was helping the army to restore normalcy.”

The Sri Lankan army got the cooperation of the LTTE at a midnight meeting Major-General Sunil Tennakkoon had with Karikalan, on last Friday.

"We discussed measures to bring about normalcy,” a high-ranking army officer said. He said, who wishes to remain anonymous, “LTTE was not involved in last week’s clashes.”

BLAMING GAME

Muslims blamed the attacks on the LTTE, saying they encouraged the Tamils to attack Muslim businesses that, refused to pay taxes they had imposed on them. LTTE denied it. So did the Tamils.

Tamils charged Islamic extremists, the Osama of the Islamic Jihad (Holy War) Movement, as the ones responsible for the attack. They also accused the police of aiding and abetting Islamic fundamentalists.

Tamils told Minister for Economic Reforms, Milinda Moragoda and Army Commander, Lt. Gen. Balagalle who visited Valaichchenai on Sunday that, the police was backing Islamic extremists.

“Islamic extremists used guns, claymore mines and grenades to attack us. The Police stood by, when they were attacking us with these lethal weapons. Who gave them these weapons?" asked Ethirmannasingham Kamalranjith, the spokesman for the Tamil community leaders and traders.

The three Tamil National Alliance parliamentarians of the Batticaloa, in a letter to Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe have named the police officers.

They charged: “Many witness from both communities and in particular Tamils have complained against the ASP of the Valaichchenai Police division Mr. Jamaldeen and the OIC of the Valaichchenai Police station Mr. Piyasena, for not maintaining impartiality in the discharge of their duties and failing to maintain the law and order in the area.”

"It was also brought to our notice by some of the eye witnesses that, CID officers
Mr. Faiz, Mr. Mansoor, Mr.Ramez and Mr.Uvais were alleged to have fired at most of the victims and it was particularly mentioned that, Mr.Faiz was responsible for the death by shooting of a Tamil youth named Kandeepan.

It is learnt that already OIC Piyasena had been transferred out of Valaichchenai and more transfers are on the cards.

Rauf Hakeem, the leader of the Muslim Congress and the Government Minister after visiting Batticaloa, accused the LTTE of attempting “to ethnically cleanse the Muslims.”

Hakeem, who entered into a peace deal with LTTE leader Velupillai Pirabakaran in April, said that the LTTE which agreed to stop extorting money from Muslims, had failed to honor the commitment.
He claims that the Tigers have continued to intimidate and harass Muslim civilians in the east. Hakeem said that the LTTE had a responsibility to make the ceasefire agreement work by helping to maintain law and order.

RISE WE WILL

Pirabaharan assured the Prime Minister Wickremesinghe through his Deputy Thamilselvan, that he would assist in the restoration of normalcy and had ordered his cadres in the East not to do anything, that may alienate the Muslims from the Tamils and also to observe the Memorandum Of Understanding between him and the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress leader Rauff Hakeem, in both letter and spirit.

Hakeem and the LTTE have voiced their suspicion about the involvement of anti-peace and anti-government forces, as being involved in Velanai and Mutur attacks. On the night of June 23 an armed group attempted to kidnap Semanan, the LTTE political organizer of the northern islands. On the same night, a group of Islamic extremists attacked LTTE’s Mutur office. Then an Islamic extremist group called for a hartal and attacked the bus owned by Tamils and threw hand grenade on two Tamil youths.

“They were intended to provoke the LTTE. But the LTTE kept their calm,” an analyst said.

He added: The LTTE by refusing to be provoked had reiterated its commitment to a negotiated settlement. The government by taking steps to swiftly defuse the situation had demonstrated its capacity to win back peace to the country.”

Traders at Valaichchenai expressed their determination to rebuild. “We’ll rise…. Rise from the ashes,” said Samsudeen Zaheer. Shanmugam Neelakanthan too expressed a similar determination.