“Primary duty of government should be security of people” - Ms Ferial Ashraff
[July 12, 2002 - 11.00 GMT]

Ms Ferial Ashraff, leader of the National Unity Alliance (NUA) said today that the situation in the East had not yet settled since Tamil-Muslim clashes erupted in the area late June.

“The fear which was absent after 1994 has once again returned to the Muslims,” she said at a media briefing.

“The primary duty of the government should be the security of its people in all parts of the country. Even after signing an MOU, the government has failed to protect civilians, particularly Muslims, in the Eastern part of the country,” PA spokesman Sarath Amunugama said.

Ms Ashraff expressed her doubts regarding the MOU between the Government and the LTTE and emphasised the need to review it in order to protect the rights of all citizens.

“In the preamble of the MOU, Muslim people have been identified only as a group and not as a community. So we belong neither to the Government nor to the LTTE,” she said.

“We are not opposing Tamils getting their equal rights. All we want is to live peacefully with everyone,” she reiterated.

Muslims make up seven percent of the 18.6 million population of the island.

Cabinet spokesman G. L. Peiris said yesterday that Defence Minister Tilak Marapone would make a statement in a few days about the situation in the East.

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Last Updated Date: July 12, 2002  - 11.00 GMT.