All talk, no action on Manirasakulam camp

Oct 17 (InfoLanka) Despite representations to Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and Norwegian facilitators by Muslim leaders to remove the controversial Manirasakulam camp, as it has been built on the site of a mosque, there has been no favourable response, a Muslim source said.

National Unity Alliance Parliamentarian M.L.A.M. Hisbullah said that he along with the North East Muslim MPs Forum had made representations about this matter a few months ago. "We have to wait and see what will happen," he said.

He added that the camp was set up after the signing of the Ceasefire Agreement in February 2001 and therefore it constituted a ceasefire violation.

Meanwhile, senior SLFP Muslim MP A.H.M. Fowzie said that even though some make a big fuss initially over matters like this, they fail to follow it up. The government wants to continue the peace process without any obstacle, and is giving in to the LTTE too much, he said.

Neither the government nor the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission appear to be keen on removing the controversial Manirasakulam camp, he said.