TNA meets with Trinco Muslim leaders

[TamilNet, Saturday, 16 October 2004, 18:59 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Saturday launched its first district political awareness campaign in Trincomalee district by organizing a discussion with a group of prominent Muslim citizens in the east port town at Trincomalee New Silver Star Hotel, TNA sources said.

Mr.Elilan speaking (l-r) Mr.Sampanthan, Mr.O.L.M.Ismail, Mr.M.Jainulabdeen, Mr.Mavai Senathirajah

Seventeen TNA parliamentarians Messrs R.Sampanthan, K.Thurairatnasingham (Trincomalee district), Mavai Senathirajah, M.K.Sivajilingam, K.Sivanesan, S.Gajendran (Jaffna district), Selvam Adaikalanathan, S.Kanagaretnam, Kishore Sivanathan, Sivasakthi Anandan, Vinonoharathalingam (Vavuniya district), A.Kanagasabai, S.Jeyananthamoorthy, S.Ariyanethiran, Ms K.Thangeswary (Batticaloa district ) and K.Pathmanathan (Amparai district) and national list parliamentarian Mr.M.K.Eelaventhan participated in the discussion with Mr.S.Elilan, Trincomalee district political head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

TNA parliamentary group leader Mr.R.Sampanthan presided.

A leading lawyer Mr.O.L.M. Ismail led the Muslim group, which included Mr.M.Jainulabdeen, President of the Trincomalee District Mosques Federation and several other Muslim leaders, sources said.

Mr.R.Sampanthan said, "Tamils and Muslims couldn't live separately in the northeast province. Chauvinist forces in the Sri Lanka are working hard to create dissension between the Tamils and Muslims to meet their narrow political ambitions. We must remember that in every district in the northeast province Tamil speaking people form the majority of the district's population."

Mr.O.L.M. Ismail recalled the time when Tamils and Muslims jointly worked for the betterment of the communities without any differences.

Mr.Elilan said, "We are very clear and firm in finding a political solution to live in the country without any division. But chauvinist forces are against that and want us to live separately. The demonstration held in front of the official residence of the Malwatte Mahanayake Thera in Kandy when the TNA parliamentarians met with the Prelate and pleaded to assist Tamils to find a honourable, just and fair political solution based on federal concept has shown the true colours of the chauvinists elements in Sri Lanka."

Several other parliamentarians and Muslim representatives also spoke.



TNA parliamentarians and Muslim leaders observe two minute silence before discussions