KARUNA GROUP AGGRAVATING TAMIL-MUSLIM TENSIONS

C O N F I D E N T I A L COLOMBO 000059 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/INS E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/11/2017 TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER PHUM MOPS CE SUBJECT: KARUNA GROUP AGGRAVATING TAMIL-MUSLIM TENSIONS Classified By: Ambassador Robert O. Blake, Jr., for reasons 1.4(b,d). ¶1. (C) Summary. A land dispute near Batticaloa led to violence between the Tamil and Muslim communities on January 8 and 9. At a meeting on January 10, political party, community, and government representatives agreed to allow the Batticaloa Government Agent to take control of the disputed land. If the Muslims can produce a legal deed, it will be honored. Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) leader Rauff Hakeem has accused the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) breakaway Karuna group of landgrabbing. End Summary. ¶2. (C) The Muslim and Tamil communities near Batticaloa are engaged in a dispute over land located in the town of Arayampathy. Arayampathy, a predominantly Tamil area, borders Kattankudy, a mainly Muslim area. The Tamil community says the disputed land is Government-owned and wants to use it as a cemetery, while the Muslim population claims it belongs to them. In late December 2006, area Muslims began building small huts on the land to occupy it. In response, the Karuna group's political arm, Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP),asked the Muslim occupants to leave. ¶3. (C) The TMVP assaulted Muslims on the land on January 8 and moved them out of the area. On January 9, Tamils who went to work in Kattankudy were attacked by Muslims. Muslims displayed notices on January 10 instructing Tamils not to enter Kattankudy. In response, the TMVP organized Tamil protests in nearby Batticaloa. SLMC leader Rauff Hakeem has accused the Karuna group of attempting to grab land from Muslims in the East and of damaging relations between the two communities. ¶4. (C) On January 10, senior SLMC leader Hizbullah, the Batticaloa Government Agent, Tamil and Muslim community leaders, senior police personnel, Special Task Force personnel, and the TMVP's Batticaloa leader met and decided to turn control of the disputed land over to the Batticaloa Government Agent. Hizbullah told Pol FSN that if the Muslim community can produce a legal deed to the land, it will be honored. Otherwise, the land will be designated for public use. ¶5. (C) Comment: The ongoing conflict and continuous displacement of people in the East, both Muslims and Tamils, continues to aggravate tensions between the two communities. The Karuna group is taking advantage of this to grab land and expand its influence. However, in pursuing this short-term advantage, it is playing into the hands of the LTTE, which is only too happy to see communal tensions inflamed. BLAKE