"Muslims will join LTTE's struggle" - SLMC organiser

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 01 May 2002, 19:48 GMT]
"The leader of the Liberation Tigers has recognised that the Muslims also have a right to this land. We, the Muslims, have a right to live on this soil. Therefore, we too shall join the struggle if the war starts again," said the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress's chief organiser for the Vavuniya district, Mr. Aariff, speaking at the May Day rally in Vavuniya Wednesday evening.

The officer in charge of the LTTE's political division in Vavuniya, Mr. Elilan, commended the SLMC organiser's stand when he addressed the meeting.

Mr. T. Dissanayaka, a member of the Anuradhapura Municipal Council told the rally he had seen three Muslims and a Tamil doctor being killed in Medawachchiya by a group of Policemen led by an officer. The councillor said that he was branded a Tiger when he had tried to urge an investigation about the murders. "If I had been a Tamil I would have become a suicide bomber," Mr.Dissanayaka said amid loud applause.

Mr. Upul Chandrasoma, the Principal of the Madukanda Sinhala School, trade unionists, LTTE officials and local politicians also spoke at the rally on the Vavuniya Urban Council grounds.