Sri Lanka: Update to LKA29682.E of 6 July 1998 on treatment of Muslims who are of Tamil ethnic origin, or who speak Tamil, by government authorities and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) (January 1999 - February 2000)
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 24 February 2000 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | LKA33836.E |
| Reference | 2 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Sri Lanka: Update to LKA29682.E of 6 July 1998 on treatment of Muslims who are of Tamil ethnic origin, or who speak Tamil, by government authorities and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) (January 1999 - February 2000), 24 February 2000, LKA33836.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ad5c34.html [accessed 2 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Information on the current treatment of Muslims does not specify their ethnic origin or language. When sources use the term "Muslim" the reader is generally unable to determine whether it is merely for identification purposes, or is a factor related to the treatment of the person identified as such.
In Sri Lanka the approximate breakdown of the population in terms of religion is as follows: Buddhist, 70 per cent; Hindu, 15 per cent; Christian, 8 per cent; and, Muslim, 7 per cent (Annual Report 9 Sept. 1999). According to the British Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) "Muslims speak mostly Tamil, but are distinguished by their religion" and "in the east Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims are equally represented. In the rest of the country, there are substantial Tamil and Muslim communities, although they are in the minority there" (Sept. 1999).
Discrimination based on religion is not common in Sri Lanka (Country Reports 1998). The Annual Report on International Religious Freedom for 1999 states that "religion does not play a significant role in the conflict" involving the LTTE; that there is a Department of Muslim Cultural and Religious Affairs; that major religions are able to celebrate their holidays freely; that parents and children can freely choose which religion a child studies; and, that "there are no reports of religious detainees or prisoners" (9 Sept. 1999). In the view of the Annual Report 1999, past attacks on Muslims in the north were "not targeted against persons due to their religious beliefs, but as part of an overall strategy to clear the north and east of persons not sympathetic to the cause of an independent Tamil state" (9 Sept. 1999).
There are also political parties identified as Muslim active in Sri Lanka. The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) is a political party with representation in provincial and national parliaments and has been active since 1986 (Political Handbook of the World 1998 1998, 866). The Muslim United Liberation Front (MULF) is a national political party active since 1988 (ibid.; Europa 1999 1999, 3292). MULF "is concerned particularly about retention of a Muslim identity in the Tamil-dominated north" (Political Handbook of the World 1998 1998, 866). News Network International reported on 26 August 1999 that a new Muslim political party, known as the National Peace Front, had been formed by SLMC leader Mohammed Ashraff who at the time was Minister of Shipping, Ports and Rehabilitation. However, in late September Sri Lanka Monitor reported that Ashraff, as the SLMC leader, was threatening to quit the governing People's Alliance (PA) (Sept. 1999).
In other information pertaining to the SLMC, an article on the Website of the Government of Sri Lanka reported that the LTTE had warned the SLMC and others against campaigning for President Kumaratunga in the 1999 election campaign and referred to the Muslim party as "the President's chief ally in the east" (3 Dec. 1999). A representative of the SLMC reacted the next day and said that the "party will not be intimidated by the LTTE" and that it would carry on with its political activities (ibid. 4 Dec. 1999).
Muslims are also members of a security force known as the Home Guards which Country Reports 1998 estimates as having 15,000 members and IND estimates as having 5,000 members (1999; Sept. 1999). According to IND:
They are Sinhalese and Muslim civilians recruited and armed by the police in order to take care of their own communities, and to defend themselves against extortion by the insurgents. They function mostly under the authority of the local police and in some areas they work alongside the army. Their functions are supposed to be purely defensive, but they often act as auxiliary forces. (Sept. 1999).
With respect to the Muslims who were forced from their northern homes in 1990 by the LTTE, Country Reports 1998 stated that they were reported to be living in refugee camps (1999). Some were reported to have returned to Jaffna in 1997 but "did not remain there due to the continuing threat posed by the LTTE. There are credible reports that the LTTE has warned Muslims displaced from the Mannar area not to return to their homes until the conflict is over" (ibid.). However, the Sri Lanka Foreign Ministry reported on 15 July 1999 that
more than 75,000 Muslims who fled Jaffna due to LTTE attacks are likely to return to the peninsula before the end of this month. Media reports quoting a displaced Muslim said the LTTE has agreed to give the Muslim community a date to discuss their problems regarding resettlement in Jaffna. However this has not yet been done. Today, about 150 Muslim traders have already started their businesses in Jaffna again and those traders who have returned to Jaffna have taken steps to repair the Jaffna Jumma Mosque which has suffered heavy damages in the war. The displaced Muslims of Jaffna are now living in Puttalam, Negombo, Panadura, Kalutara, Kekirawa, Anuradhapura and Colombo.
In further information, the Daily News reported on 28 October 1999 that "Muslims from Northern Province, who were forcibly evicted from their dwellings nine years ago by the LTTE and languishing in refugee camps have organised a rally [in Colombo] and a picketing marking completion of nine years of their eviction."
Sri Lanka Monitor reported that in May,
240 Muslim families from the Lovelane refugee camp staged a protest fast in Trincomalee town, demanding restoration of government assistance which was stopped in June last year. The refugees say that no action has been taken to resettle them. The Army searched Allesthottam refugee camp on 8 May and arrested 23 young men and women. The camp houses refugees returned from India several years ago (May 1999c).
In other information involving the LTTE, a group of religious leaders, including Muslims, went to the LTTE controlled north-east in February 1999 to "assess the humanitarian situation in the region and to talk with senior LTTE leaders to discuss the conflict and the prospects for peace," but without concrete results from this meeting or a later meeting with the President (Annual Report 1999 9 Sept. 1999).
In November 1999 LTTE leader Prabhakaran stated that "he was ready for discussions for peace without giving up his goal of Eelam" (The Daily News 29 Nov. 1999). Political leaders reacted "cautiously" and "Muslim Congress Parliamentarian M. M. Zuhair said that as long as the goal of Eelam remains, no profitable discussion will be possible. Instead of Eelam, they must discuss a substitute form of Government. However, we must be thankful to Prabhakaran for proposing to discuss peace" (ibid.).
In other information from 1999, there were reports and/or allegations of isolated incidents of tension that involved persons identified as Muslim (TamilNet 18 Jan. 1999; ibid. 10 Feb. 1999; ibid. 7 Jan. 2000; Sri Lanka Monitor Feb. 1999; ibid. May 1999a; ibid. May 1999b; ibid. Dec. 1999; ibid. July 1999; Country Reports 1998 1999; SPUR 11 Aug. 1999).
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
Annual Report on International Religious Freedom for 1999. 9 September 1999. United States Department of State. Washington, DC.
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1998. 1999. United States Department of State. Washington, DC.
Daily News [Colombo]. 29 November 1999. "Party Leaders React Cautiously."
_____. 28 October 1999. "Northern Muslims to Stage Rally."
The Europa World Year Book 1999. 1999. 40th ed. London: Europa Publications.
Government of Sri Lanka. 4 December 1999. "SLMC Defies LTTE Ban."
_____. 3 December 1999. "LTTE Warbs SLMC to Refrain From Supporting President in the East."
Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND), Home Office, London. September 1999. Sri Lanka Assessment.
News Network International [Islamabad]. 26 August 1999. S.Lanka Recognizes New Muslim Party."
Political Handbook of the World 1998. 1998. Edited by Arthur S. Banks. Binghamton, NY: CSA Publications.
Society for Peace, Unity and Human Rights for Sri Lanka (SPUR). 11 August 1999. Gamini Wijayarathna. "Tigers Storm Muslim Village, Set Fire to House."
Sri Lanka Foreign Ministry. 15 July 1999. "75,000 Displaced Muslims to Return to Jaffna."
Sri Lanka Monitor [London]. December 1999. "2,500 Tamils Rounded Up."
_____. September 1999. "In Brief."
_____. July 1999. "Mannar Murder."
_____. May 1999a. "Madhu Camp."
_____. May 1999b. "Indiscriminate Arrests."
_____. May 1999c. "Ships to Jaffna."
_____. February 1999. "In Brief."
TamilNet. 7 January 2000. "Sri Lanka: Over 1,000 Tamils Arrested During Colombo Curfew." (BBC Worldwide Monitoring/NEXIS)
_____. 10 February 1999. "Sinhala-Muslim Tension Mounts."
_____. 18 January 1999. "Police Intimidate Muslim Villagers."
Additional Sources Consulted
IRB databases
Foreign Terrorist Organizations. October 1999. United States Department of State. Washington, DC.
LEXIS-NEXIS
REFWORLD
Sri Lanka Monitor [London]. 1999.
World News Connection (WNC)
Internet sites including:
British Refugee Council Sri Lanka Project
Government of Sri Lanka
International Committee of the Red Cross
Society for Peace, Unity and Human Rights for Sri Lanka (SPUR)
Sri Lanka News Update, Compiled by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Sri Lanka
The Sunday Times [Colombo]
TamilNet
