State law enforcement authorities could not do much to stem the escalating violence for about a week when hapless Muslims were attacked allegedly by LTTE cadres.

Shops, houses and other properties belonging to the Muslims were destroyed, and some were murdered.

The Colombo-based Muslim leadership blamed the government for its failure to bring the situation under control and protect the Muslims while SLMC leader and Minister Rauff Hakeem came in for heavy fire from his own party men.

It was Minister and SLMC's Eastern Province parliamentarian A. L. M. Athaullah, who came out strongly against the government inaction. He called on the party leadership to seriously review their support for the government, which has failed in its duty by the people of the East, especially Muslims who voted overwhelmingly for the UNF-SLMC alliance. He accused the LTTE of unleashing the violence on the Muslims and not honouring a memorandum of understanding with the SLMC. Other Muslim politicians, including Deputy Minister Mohideen Abdul Cader, also expressed similar sentiments. They held crisis talks on what they should do next and even went to the extent of emphasising the need for a new leadership from the east to lead the party.

Mr. Athaullah was seriously thinking of crossing over to the opposition in defiance of the party whip as he felt the Muslims had not gained much under this government.

He thought of summoning a news conference to announce his decision. Some even claimed that he met President Chandrika Kumaratunga and had a long discussion about the eastern situation.

Differences arose between Mr. Athaullah and Mr. Hakeem at a recent meeting where the former along with a few others called on the leadership to sever all links with the LTTE in view of the continuous harassment the Muslims undergo at the hands of the LTTE.

Mr. Athaullah wanted to form a pressure group comprising SLMC members from the North and the East. Sensing that such a move could split the party, Mr. Hakeem said that not only members of the North and the East, but also the entire SLMC should act as a pressure group to safeguard the interests of the Muslims. "We have to think and act objectively and not subjectively," Mr. Hakeem said.

"Any rash statement to destabilise the government would further jeopardise the security of the Muslims. If we do it today, we would only be strengthening the hands of the LTTE," he said.

Referring to the ceasefire agreement and the SLMC's own pact with the LTTE, Mr. Hakeem charged that the LTTE was always observing the agreements in the breach and projecting a different picture of the situation.

Mr. Athaullah was also displeased over a decision taken by Mr. Hakeem to send parliamentarian Anwar Ismail to meet Karuna, the LTTE's military leader for Batticaloa and Ampara, to discuss the eastern crisis. He felt a party senior of some standing should be the choice.

But Mr. Hakeem's decision was based on protocol. The message from the LTTE's political wing leader S. P. Thamilchelvan was that arrangements had been made for Mr. Hakeem to meet Karuna. But Mr. Hakeem felt that since he was a party leader and minister, he should meet only the LTTE's top leadership and to meet an area leader like Karuna, sending an MP was a politically prudent decision.

But when Karuna learnt that Mr. Hakeem was not coming, he also did not show up at the scheduled meeting.

Mr. Hakeem was also worried about dissent within the party over the eastern crisis. He sprang into action to stop Mr. Athaullah from making any hasty decision. He chose, Shipping Corporation Chairman A. J. M. Muzammil for the job. Though Mr. Muzammil had a reputation as a political broker, he lacked trouble-shooting diplomatic skills, but he agreed to give it a try.

He was successful when he convinced Mr. Athaullah to scrap the news conference and talk to the SLMC high command instead.

Accordingly, Mr. Athaullah presented his case at Sunday's high command meeting. Amidst a stormy session, the SLMC high command decided not to embarrass the government and bring about political uncertainty in the country at a time the government was pursuing peace vigorously. At this meeting, the SLMC members decided to withhold their support for the Conscience Bill until the government gave a guarantee that adequate steps would be taken to protect the Muslims of the East.

Most of the members pointed out that the withdrawal of the army from public buildings in the east had made Muslims vulnerable to LTTE attacks and called on the leadership to stress for a stronger military presence in the east.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe also came in for criticism for his decision to send two Muslim ministers - M. H. Mohamed and A. R. M. Abdul Cader - to meet LTTE leaders in the East in violation of coalition principles.

The SLMC members also were up in arms over a statement Defence Minister Tilak Marapana is reported to have made to the BBC. Mr. Marapana had reportedly said that the LTTE had no hand in the disturbances in the East. But the SLMCers pointed out that there was ample evidence to prove the LTTE's involvement and claimed that even the security forces would bear testimony to that.

However, the SLMC is pleased over the position taken by the JVP in Parliament when the very government in which they are a constituent partner is silent about the whole issue.

Meanwhile, some sections of the Muslim leadership believe that it was high time Muslims took up arms to protect themselves. One Muslim leader in Colombo said the Muslims should have some sort of defence against the LTTE.
Some SLMC Parliamentarians say the agreement between the LTTE and the SLMC is no longer valid because the LTTE had violated it in toto and charge that the LTTE is on an ethnic cleansing campaign in the east to build up a strong case for a Tamil homeland.

In view of the eastern crisis, the ceasefire agreement, under which the government troops are required to withdraw from the public places in the East before August 2, is in the balance. On the one hand the SLMC is pressuring the government to suspend the troop withdrawal but on the other, the SLMC says the proposed peace talks in Thailand will not take place unless the government fulfills all its obligations under the agreement.

Will this lead to a total breakdown of the peace process? It is said the LTTE is avoiding meetings with Norwegian peacemakers to discuss the agenda for talks unless the government adheres to all the provisions of the agreement.

Meanwhile, the SLMC leadership questions the wisdom in participating in the peace process and the interim council if the security of the Muslims is not guaranteed. A majority of the Muslims believe that they would be worse off if the LTTE forms the interim administration for the north and the east.

After the Sunday's high command meeting, the crisis within the party was brought under control to some extent, bringing relief to Mr. Hakeem, but he is aware that he is under threat from at least four people.

Though Ferial Ashraff is no more in the SLMC, she always keeps tabs on the developments in the SLMC. M. L. M. Hisbullah is yet another person who poses a challenge to Mr. Hakeem's leadership. Though he is no longer an SLMC member, he, together with Ms. Ashraff leads the breakaway SLMC faction. Besides them, Mr. Athaullah and Haafeez Nazeer have also emerged as possible threats to Mr. Hakeem's leadership.

Mr. Nazeer was an Ashraff loyalist who maintained party funds, but later joined hands with Mr. Hakeem for a limited purpose of getting over a party investigation against him. A high command member, he is now one of the strongest critics of Mr. Hakeem's leadership.

Two Thursdays ago, Mr. Hakeem attended a high-level UNF meeting where proposals for a possible impeachment of the President and the Chief Justice were discussed. Mr. Hakeem initially opposed such moves and urged the government to adhere to the principles of consensus politics, but eventually he was compelled to fall in line with the UNP's decision to go ahead with the impeachment move.

Mr. Hakeem was not happy though a resolution to this effect was passed unanimously at the meeting. He later told friends, he was helpless and could not do anything against it at that time.

Mr. Hakeem also came in for a bout of severe criticism from UNP Muslim ministers M. H. Mohamed and A. R. M. Abdul Cader after their visit to the East. Mr. Mohamed made a futile effort to whitewash the LTTE after the meeting with the rebel group's eastern commander Karikalan. Some say the UNP Muslim leadership undertook the visit to the east to prove a point that the SLMC is not the sole representative of the Muslims. Giving credence to this interpretation, Karikalan reportedly made a statement saying that the LTTE had considered the SLMC the sole representative of the Eastern Muslims, but it now holds a different view of the whole scenario.

According to Karikalan, the LTTE will take decisions after consulting not only the SLMC but also the Muslim leadership of UNP and the PA as well.

However, at a meeting of Muslim parliamentarians on Wednesday, Mr. Hakeem proclaimed that the SLMC was not the sole representatives of the Muslims and acknowledged that there were others as well. But he stressed a point that the Eastern Muslims had given them a mandate to guarantee their safety and to look after their interests.

Mr. Hakeem was right in that sense, because the bulk of the SLMC Parliamentarians are from the East.

The question of who represents the Muslims raises another question as to the validity of the LTTE's agreement with the SLMC. If the LTTE believes there are other Muslim leaders who should be consulted, will it then scrap the agreement with the SLMC and go for a fresh one involving all Muslim leaders.

If this happens, will it deal a political blow to the LTTE? The SLMC appears to be having a trump card if things go wrong for it. It could revive its demand for a South Eastern Council incorporating all Muslim areas in the east.

In view of this demand, the LTTE is also likely to handle this delicate problem cautiously without allowing it to go out of hand.

Mr. Thamilchelvan told a group of visiting Colombo-based editors this week that the process of reconciliation had begun and an assurance had been given to the Muslims.

Dispelling fears that the new wave of violence was bound to wreck relations between the communities in a future political arrangement, Mr. Thamilchelvan said his leader had stated unequivocally that the "ancestral Muslims had the same right as the Tamils to the homeland."

"We are a nation of people who have suffered under majoritarian rule. We have learnt what oppression can be at the hands of the oppressed," said Mr. Thamilchelvan adding that the LTTE "will not be the oppressors of any minorities."

At a crisis meeting on Tuesday, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe assured additional protection to the Muslim areas in the East following requests made by Minister Hakeem and other Muslim parliamentarians.

Minister Hakeem told the Prime Minister that Valaichchenai town should be re-built. When the premier asked who should carry out this task, Mr. Hakeem spontaneously proposed the UDA. But soon he realized that the the UDA came under Minister M. M. Mohamed, the reconstruction of the town will help him gain political mileage in the east. Mr. Hakeem is now expected to tell the Prime Minister that after the initial assessment is carried out by the UDA, the Ministry of Reconstruction and Rehabilitation should handle the building task.

The SLMC leadership is scheduled to meet the Prime Minister again on Tuesday to review the eastern situation. The party knows that if it does not take any meaningful steps to assure Muslims that they are well looked after, it will pave the way for not only his political death but also that of his party.

During the recent riots, a Muslim mob reportedly burnt a house belonging to an SLMC Parliamentarian to show their frustration over the party's inability to protect the people of the east.

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