The Hon. (Dr.) M.L.A.M. Hizbullah

¶ 01 Bismillah-ir-Rahman-ir-Rahim.

¶ 02 Hon. Speaker, on the 9th, Hon. Sanakiyan stated in this House that what I said about the Karamunai area was untrue and baseless, and he mentioned my name three times. I thank you for allowing me to clarify.

¶ 03 Karamunai is a Muslim village in the Vakarai DS Division of Batticaloa District. The Muslim residents face many issues regarding land, deeds, and roads. Hundreds cannot even get electricity to their homes and lack basic facilities. I said the Divisional Secretary is deliberately denying even electricity in an attempt to drive Muslims out.

¶ 04 Hon. Sanakiyan said this is not a Muslim village; that it has no connection to Muslims; that Muslims do not live there; that it is a purely Tamil ancestral village. He has been misinformed. There is no evidence of any Tamil family having lived there—no temple even as a marker.

¶ 05 There is a 200-year-old ziyaram (shrine), a 50-year-old mosque, and associations including an RDS registered over 75 years ago. Permits exist showing Muslims lived there since 1983. A letter from 1983 shows that due to the war, 109 families left. There is ample evidence that Muslims lived there. Therefore, what I said in this House about Karamunai is true. I urge that proper action be taken to resolve the problems of the Muslims in that village. Thank you.