Mannar Muslim Issues

By Sulochana Ramiah Mohan. The government conducted an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) before the resettlement of the displaced Muslims in Marichchikatti, Mannar and beyond, Minister of Economic Development, Basil Rajapaksa, told Ceylon Today. The minister's remarks contradict the assertion by the ultra-nationalist groups, Bodu Bala Sena, and Sinhala Ravaya, which have waged a campaign against the resettlement of Muslim IDPs …

Minister Rishad Badiutheen organised a media tour on Tuesday to brief the media about the charge that Muslim colonies were created in the Wilpattu Forest reserve.By Darshana Sanjeewa ​

Having acknowledged that ongoing religious tensions could destabilise the country, President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday announced the setting up of a special law enforcement unit to tackle the situation.   The president was responding to a query at a meeting with editors of national newspapers and representatives of the print and electronic media at Temple Trees yesterday. Turning towards IGP N.K. …

‘I am above communal considerations’ Select extracts from the Hansard of Minister Rishad Bathiudeen's speech in Parliament on August 8, 2012 “Sir, my electorate and I have been making media headlines in the past few weeks and I would like to make use of this opportunity to set out the real facts with regard to the events that took place …

  As we were saying last week, what makes for good press is the accusation that a government minister tried to bring pressure on a magistrate thereby compromising the independence of the judiciary. This was what the whole country was alerted to and what the entire judiciary from the Supreme Court downwards and the whole legal profession stopped work over. …

Ignored by the government, UNHCR, NGOs and Muslim Politicians   Muslim settlements in Mannar dates back to more than one thousand years.In her book “The Muslims of Sri Lanka” eminent historian Dr. Lorna Dewaraja explained that by 9th century Muslim settlements were established in the coastal areas including Mannar. Muslims in and around Mannar area were descendants of early Arab traders who …