Northern Displaced Muslims declare ‘Week of mourning’

The internally displaced Muslims, who were evicted from the north and east by the LTTE in 1980 declared a "Week of Mourning" today to launch a signature campaign to coincide with the 15th anniversary of their eviction by the LTTE. They will commence a peaceful march from Kattar to Puttalam today in a bid to collect 100,000 signatures for a petition which would be handed over to President Kumaratunge, UN General Secretary Koffi Annan and to Heads of Diplomatic Missions of Muslim countries in Sri Lanka. It is reported that approximately 300,000 displaced Muslims live in Puttalam, Anuradhapura, Kurunegala, Kalutara and other districts, while around 300 families have resettled at Musali in Mannar and 150 of them lived in un-cleared areas. (AB)