<b>Ensure MoU is enforced strictly - PA Gen. Sec. </b>

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It is the duty of the government, the LTTE and the Monitoring Mission to ensure that the MoU is strictly enforced so as to retain the confidence of the people in the North and East as well as the rest of the country in the peace process, People's Alliance General Secretary D. M. Jayaratne notes in a statement on the situation in the Eastern Province.

Although there are many deficiencies in the ceasefire MoU, failure to enforce it will lead to further violence in the East which can spread to other parts of the country, the statement adds. The recent outbreak of violence in the East is a case in point.

The statement goes on: 'The communal tensions that have arisen have mainly affected sections of the Muslim and Tamil populations. In particular the Muslims who are a minority in this Province feel a sense of fear due to the actions of the LTTE after the ceasefire MoU came into operation.

If in the responsibility of the government to preserve law and order in the parts of the East (and the North) that is under its control says PA Gen. Secretary D. M. Jayaratne.

The People's Alliance is very concerned and disturbed about the situation that has arisen in the Eastern Province and demands that the Prime Minister and the Minister of Defence take immediate action to ensure that the Police and the Armed Forces are given necessary instructions to enable them to carry out their duties to maintain law and order and ensure the security of all citizens, the statement says.

The text of the statement:

The People's Alliance is very concerned and disturbed about the situation that has arisen in the Eastern Province in the aftermath of the communal clashes that occurred last week first in Mutur and thereafter in Valachchenai and other places. These incidents have led to the death of several persons, scores of people have been injured and there has been extensive damage to property, affecting the Muslims more than the Tamils. The PA expresses its sympathy to all those who have suffered as a result of these clashes.

The communal tensions that have arisen have mainly affected sections of the Muslim and Tamil populations. In particular the Muslims who are a minority in this province feel a sense of fear due to the actions of the LTTE after the ceasefire MoU came into operation. The earlier extortion has now been extended to the levy of a direct tax on all items sold. In certain places some Tamil youth have forcefully taken over land owned by Muslims. This situation has arisen due to the fact that in addition to setting up offices the LTTE personnel are allowed to carry arms in areas controlled by the Government. This is contrary to the terms of the MoU. Further the police and the armed forces are under instructions from the Government to refrain from acting on the complaints made by the citizens, particularly the Muslims. The resentment that has been building up among the Muslims and other sections of the population has contributed to the eruption of the violence.

It is the responsibility of the Government to preserve law and order in the parts of the East (and the North) that is under its control. The failure to do so has been the main cause for the dangerous situation that has arisen. The PA demands that the Prime Minister and the Minister of Defence take immediate action to ensure that the police and the armed forces are given necessary instructions to enable them to carry out their duties properly in the interest of maintaining law and order and ensuring the security of all the citizens. Failure to do so could lead to the eruption of further violence and the dominance of the situation by extremist forces.

Although there are many deficiencies in the ceasefire MoU it is the duty of the Government, the LTTE and the Monitoring Mission to ensure that it is strictly enforced so as to retain the confidence of the people in the North and the east as well as the rest of the country in the peace process. Failure to do so will lead to further violence in the East which can spread to other parts of the country. The recent outbreaks of violence in Vavuniya is a case in point. The Government must discharge its responsibility to the people and the country and in particular Rauf Hakeem, as the leader of the Muslim Congress and a Minister in the Government, must ensure that the human and democratic rights of the Muslims in the East are protected. There is no justification to lay the blame for what has occurred on outside forces such as Al Qaeda in an attempt to mislead world public opinion. D. M. Jayaratne, General Secretary, People's Alliance.

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