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Douglas urges Prez against Iranaithivu plan

03 Mar 2021

By Pamodi Waravita and Mihi Perera   Minister of Fisheries and Kilinochchi District Co-ordinating Chairman Douglas Devananda yesterday (3) made a request to both President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa to reconsider the decision to bury the Covid-19 deceased in the Iranaithivu island. Speaking to The Morning yesterday, Media Secretary to the Minister Nelson Edirisinghe said that Devananda had engaged in discussions yesterday with the President and the Premier and had communicated that the civilians in Iranaithivu island are against the island being used as a burial ground for those who succumb to Covid-19. Edirisinghe further said that in addition to there being an ongoing cultivation of sea urchins in the island, which is planned to bring in a potential $ 25,000 million to the country, Iranaithivu is no longer an isolated island and as such, is unsuitable to bury bodies of Covid-19 victims. Meanwhile, in an open appeal to the Government by the people of the Iranaithivu island village, the island residents called upon the Government to respect those who die from Covid-19 and to give them dignity in death by not transporting them from place to place. The letter further stated that since the livelihoods of the people in the island are mainly cultivation and cattle breeding, the richness of the soil is extremely important for the islanders. Further, the letter also said that since it takes one-and-a-half hours for a boat to reach the island from the mainland, it is impractical to consider the island for burial. Protestors also told The Morning that these concerns have also been raised with both the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) and the Catholic Bishops in Jaffna. Elsewhere, Illankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi (ITAK) Parliamentarian President’s Counsel M.A. Sumanthiran told The Morning that since there is no scientific evidence stating that the burial of Covid-19 victims leads to groundwater contamination, any cemetery in the country could be used for burial. “This is a desperate ruse by the Government to pit two minority communities against each other. We are firmly against this and this kind of discrimination is a punishable offence under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) Act,” Sumanthiran added. This allegation was however rejected by Cabinet Spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella who told The Morning that such a claim was to be expected from non-governmental parties.   Further, Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) Leader and MP Rauff Hakeem noted: “It is ridiculous that we are going to be banished to an island. The Kuppiyawatta burial ground has been identified as safe for burial by Prof. Jennifer Perera’s expert committee on the matter.” The Iranaithivu island inhabitants protested against the navy occupation of the island since 2009, and in 2018 peacefully reclaimed the island. The Government had a firm stance on the mandatory cremation of the Covid-19 dead after a gazette notification was passed on the matter earlier last year. This decision has raised criticism and concerns from both human rights activists and the international community, saying it discriminates against the minority communities in the country. The Government has since decided to allow the burial of the Covid-19 dead but has not implemented their decision yet.

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