Poor response from Sri Lankan Muslim militants to the call to surrender arms

(July 06, 2009) Police sources say that the Muslim armed groups in the Eastern Province have surrendered a fraction of the arms and ammunition they are believed possessing.

The deadline for surrenderin arms concluded on July 04 after extension. Armed groups surrendered a small number of weapons including 18 T-56 automatic rifles.

Deputy Inspector General of Batticaloa Central Edison Gunathilaka said to Lakbima News newspaper on Sunday the intelligence reports had revealed that jihadist militants possess 250 T-56 assault rifles.


Minister of Health, Eastern province, M. L. A. M. Hisbullah said he distributed 600 weapons to villagers to be used to defend the Muslims from Tigers.

He said he received them from the late President R.Premadasa and distributed them a day after an incident of massacre in Kathankudi in August 1990. “We never kept these weapons to fight the security forces. We used them to fight against the Tamil Tigers.”