The Sri Lankan government has rejected a demand reportedly made by the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, to establish separate administrative districts for Muslims, after UNP MP Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe raised the issue in parliament, criticising the proposal as unethical.
"This is a dangerous trend in politics. All of us must oppose the SLMC’s move. The government has the wherewithal to act against such projects," Rajapakshe said.
The MP for Colombo compared the SLMC proposal to demands made by former Tamil leaders Amirthalingam and Chelvanayagam.
"Their actions paved the way for Tamil youth taking up arms against the government of the day," he added.
"What would have happened if the Sinhalese, too, demand separate administrative districts for them on the basis the Muslims want Ampara to be declared exclusively their own? The separatist project launched by the SLMC should be strongly opposed by other political parties," he said.
Prime Minister Jayaratne supported the opposition MP's views and thanked him for highlighting the issue.
We need your support
Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. Tamil journalists are particularly at threat, with at least 41 media workers known to have been killed by the Sri Lankan state or its paramilitaries during and after the armed conflict.
Despite the risks, our team on the ground remain committed to providing detailed and accurate reporting of developments in the Tamil homeland, across the island and around the world, as well as providing expert analysis and insight from the Tamil point of view
We need your support in keeping our journalism going. Support our work today.
For more ways to donate visit https://donate.tamilguardian.com.
