The Hon. Rauff Hakeem, Attorney-at-Law
Hon. Rauff Hakeem raised concern over the policy adopted during the relevant period to deny burials, stating that it affected Muslims and Catholics and had attracted international human rights attention. He argued that the decision was unscientific, wasteful of public funds, and involved taking bodies to distant locations, including a proposal to send them to the Maldives.
Verbatim record (translated)
Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English¶ 01 Yes, Hon. Deputy Speaker, I will be very brief.
¶ 02 This particular incident cannot be just brushed aside. I know that you all, including the Hon. Leader of the House, sometimes get annoyed when I raise these questions repeatedly over an issue like this. But, this is a matter that has gained international attention regarding human rights in this country. A particular religious community has been affected seriously, not only the Muslims but also the Catholics who believe in burial. This burial decision had also been taken in an unscientific manner, wasting public funds and taking burials to a faraway place. And also, the Government at that time wanted to take the bodies to the Maldives!
Provenance
- Source
- Hansard, Friday, 7 February 2025 ·No. 1739786070060795 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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Cite as: The Hon. Rauff Hakeem, Attorney-at-Law. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 7 February 2025. No. 1739786070060795. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/23062