Expulsion of Northern Muslims Wasn’t Ethnic Cleansing, Says Ex-TNA MP
By 04th November 2015
COLOMBO: The en-masse expulsion of Muslims from Sri Lanka’s Northern Province by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in October-November 1990, was not “ethnic cleansing” but a measure to “protect” them, argues P.Ariyanetthiran, a former Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP from the Eastern District of Batticaloa.
"It could not be described as ethnic cleansing because it was to be temporary. The Muslims were told that they would be allowed to come back after the successful conclusion of the war for a separate Tamil Eelam. The properties and personal effects seized from the Muslims were to be kept safely and given back on their return. But this did not happen because the struggle for Tamil Eelam failed and the seized properties fell into the hands of the government forces,” Ariyanetthiran told Express.
On the demand of TNA MP M.A.Sumanthiran that the Northern Provincial Council should apologize to the Muslims through a resolution, he said: “There is no need to apologize now because, in the course of the war, the LTTE had publicly apologized and said that the Muslims could come back.”
Explaining the background to the expulsion of 75,000 to 90,000 Muslims from the six districts of the Northern Province, Ariyanetthiran said that Muslims were asked to quit en masse “for their own protection” in view of the anti-Tamil activities of Muslims in the Eastern Province at the instigation of the Lankan government and military.
Muslims were being used as spies. The Sinhalese-Muslim Home Guards killed Tamils. Army-sponsored units like “Green Tigers” terrorized Tamils. According to D.B.S.Jeyaraj, there was a shady army intelligence unit under one “Capt.Munas”, who turned to be Richard Dias, a Sinhalese army officer.
Ariyanetthiran said that up to 1000 Tamils lost their lives in attacks at Valathaapitti, Veeracholai, Savalaikadai, Malligaithivu, Chatturukondaan, Veeramunai, Vandaarumoolai, and Puthukudiyiruppu. Muslim gangs had destroyed or desecrated Hindu temples in Ottamaavadi, Kalmunai, Sainthamaruthu and Ninthavur.
According to Jaffna TNA MP D.Siddharthan, the LTTE expelled Northern Muslims, even though these had done no harm to the Tamils, because it wanted to seize their properties.
Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) leader V.Anandasangaree said that it is wrong to ask the entire Tamil community to apologize for the doings of the LTTE. According to him, Northern Tamils had no problem with the Muslims, and if they did not protest at that time, it was because they were scared of the LTTE.
