Musali – the small village with a big story

It is true that the name Musali fails to ring a bell to an overwhelming majority of Sri Lankans. The only Muslim majority division in the entire Northern Province for some reason had been out of the limelight for nearly two decades despite having a big story to tell.

By the time the LTTE evicted the Muslims in this DS division in Mannar in 1990 Muslims formed almost 90% of the population in the area. Of the 3,925 families in the division 3, 275 were Muslims. Following the eviction, the  majority of them sought temporary shelter in Puttalam. A few others went to Anuradhapura and Kurunegala.

While the Musali IDPs were languishing in the camps their lands were totally neglected. The jungle took over the cleared areas and boundaries became unidentifiable. Meanwhile attempts were made by Musali IDPs to organize themselves to fight for their lost rights. Musali People’s Parliament and Musali Teachers’ Association were among such organizations formed by the displaced.

In 2002 after Ranil Wickremesinghe’s  government entered into a Ceasefire Agreement with the LTTE, a few dozens of displaced Musali families went back to their village. They started clearing the land and putting their lives back on track. However it was obvious that their return was not to the liking of the LTTE and some influential religious personality in Mannar. The demographic change the Muslims would bring, these parties realized, would have hampered their attempts to promote ethnic homogeneity in the region, something they started in the long absence of Muslims in the area. Equally or more worrisome for the LTTE and its allies was the loyalty of the Muslim returnees. Traditionally the Muslims have sided with the government and the LTTE feared that the returnees would pass on information on Tiger movements to the security forces. There were several incidents of violence against the Muslim returnees.  However despite the resistance the families decided to stay back and fight for their rights.

By the time military operations started off in the Musali area in September 2007, there were some 147 families living there. The escalation of violence made the returnees leave their homes once again. Some tried to stay at camps while the others returned to Puttalam.

The end of war ignited fresh hopes for those who wanted to return to their places of origin. However due to a variety of reasons the IDPs have found that they are confronted with bigger stumbling blocks today than what they faced during the war.

Historical prejudices, religious politics, party politics, lethargy and manipulation by Muslim politicians both in the government and the opposition have made them almost a voiceless group of people. The last two years had only gone to complicate their moves to claim their lands.

Despite repeated assurances by the government that all is well, these IDPs maintain the entire process of resettlement has left much to be desired. A proper registration process of those who are willing to return, mediation boards to settle land disputes and more than anything else a genuine concern for the plight befallen for the people, they claim, are not there among those tasked with handling the issue.

The saddest part of the story, they maintain, is the manner in which their own representatives – the Muslim politicians in the government and the opposition – have turned a blind eye on the matter.