<b>Tamil- Muslim clashes would never recur - Karikalan.

T.Sabaratnam

Colombo July 17: LTTE’s eastern region political chief Karikalan, today took an oblique snipe at the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) and its leader and the Minister of Portss Rauff Hakeem, saying that, some of his speeches and statements about the retention the army to protect the Muslims and those effecting amendments to the ceasefire agreement , amounted to delaying and toppling the peace process.

In an interview to Sakthi TV, he said that, Hakeem had talked to the LTTE leader Prabhakaran and had signed a joint statement, on April 12, on the basis of the Government- LTTE Memorandum of Agreement (MOU).

Karikalan said: “They are trying to safeguard their leadership by making use of these disturbances… They are asking not to move the army form their villages and for the amending of the MOU. These demands would undermine the ceasefire agreement.”

He charged that some of the speeches could be construed as sowing the seeds of an armed struggle among the Muslims.

“Such a tendency would not be healthy for the implementation of the ceasefire agreement," Karikalan warned.

He dismissed the charge of the SLMC and Hakeem, leveled against the LTTE. He said that they alleged that the collection of taxes as extortion. He added : “They contend that it was a violation of the Pirabaharan- Hakeem agreement, which said that LTTE would not collect money from the Muslims to fund the liberation struggle.”

He said that the agreement did not exempt Muslims from the payment of taxes for doing business or engaging in other activities, within the area under LTTE control

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“Within the area administered by us, Tamils and Muslims will have to pay the taxes levied by the LTTE, to provide and maintain its administration and services. Because they are Muslims, they cannot be exempted,” Karikalan said.

When asked about the charge that, the LTTE had abducted Sinhala loggers, he said since the ceasefire agreement came into force, illegal Sinhala loggers are infiltrating and logging valuable timber. What the LTTE did was to arrest them and fine them for illegal felling of trees. They are fined under our law and released once the fine is paid... He said fines thus collected are used for reforestation.

Karikalan confidently said Tamil- Muslim clashes would never recur.

“How sure are you about it?” he was asked.

He gave two reasons.

First, the village level peace committees that are being formed. Even minor disputes are referred to them and settlement worked out.

Second, the most important is the understanding that had been forged among the army, police and the LTTE.

“In the east, more than in other places, we have developed a friendly relations among the army, police and the LTTE,” Karikalan said.