The Fight for Justice Continues 35 Years On
October marks 35 years since the forced expulsion of thousands of Muslims by the LTTE in 1990 from the Northern Province. They were forced to abandon their ancestral homes on short notice, stripped of their belongings, their livelihoods and their place in a region they had peacefully inhabited for generations.
The exhibition, Women’s Search for Justice – Our Past and Our Future, held in Colombo highlighted the long standing and ongoing struggles of women activists in their pursuit of justice. Dr Farah Mihlar, the main organiser, said the exhibition was developed to break down power hierarchies in knowledge production through dissolving academic-activist boundaries. “Women’s issues are deeply interconnected yet those in positions of authority or tasked with crafting solutions often lack a true understanding of the vast disconnect between policy and lived experience,” she said, adding that top down solutions created a big gap between what women were fighting for on the ground and what the government was offering. The aim of the exhibition was to make people understand that the fight for justice has become a part of daily life for many women.
Siyana Niyas, a social activist and member of North East Women’s Voice for Justice and the president of Jaffna Women Development Centre, said that over three decades after being expelled, resettled Muslims in the North continue to face systemic neglect and discrimination. There is also a lack of data; no comprehensive records exist detailing how many people lost homes, businesses or loved ones nor how many still require housing, livelihoods or basic services.
No government has introduced dedicated schemes or specific policies to support resettled Muslim communities. Basic infrastructure, livelihood support, housing and budget allocations remain disproportionately allocated while ignoring the legitimate needs of resettled Muslims. The majority population in the Northern Province is Tamil and there is a prevailing perception among some officials that returning Muslims are forcefully encroaching on land. This narrative fuels administrative bias and further delays justice for affected communities.
When Muslim families apply for housing schemes, they frequently encounter discriminatory attitudes from Tamil officials. Many applicants report being treated differently with their applications scrutinised more harshly or delayed without explanation. The housing criteria developed by the government has failed to address the unique circumstances of resettled Muslim communities in the Northern Province. These criteria do not reflect the lived realities of Muslims who were displaced for decades and now face systemic barriers in rebuilding their lives. Muslim areas receive significantly less funding when provincial budgets are divided. To date, there is no development programme tailored to the needs of Muslims in the North nor any targeted housing or livelihood initiatives.
For Muslim women, the obstacles are even more pronounced. Many are unable to access bank loans to start small businesses due to systemic barriers. Business registration is often denied or delayed, primarily because applicants are required to submit land deeds, documents that most do not possess as they live in rented homes. As a result, even modest ventures like eateries or boutiques remain out of reach. Even when the government introduces development initiatives housing schemes, compensation packages, or even minor programmes like distributing plants, Muslim communities in the Northern Province face unequal access and unfair distribution.
In the realm of education, the situation is particularly alarming. A significant number of Muslim girls drop out of school by Grade 9 or 10 with some leaving even earlier. There are no targeted interventions to support these young girls, no vocational training, income generating programmes or entrepreneurial initiatives to help them build sustainable futures. Muslim boys who drop out of school often face a future with limited direction and few structured opportunities. In the absence of proper vocational guidance or entrepreneurial support, many engaging in informal activities such as collecting and selling scrap iron or other recyclable materials to earn daily wages. This lack of planning and support not only undermines the potential of an entire generation but also perpetuates cycles of poverty and social exclusion.
The Tamil community often views Northern Muslims through a lens of social discrimination. Some believe that Muslims, having fled in 1990 and resettled in places like Puttalam, now return only to reclaim land, sometimes accused of intending to sell it and leave again. The understanding that the northern region is also the traditional homeland of Muslims seems to be lacking among many. Muslim communities continue to face challenges not only in resettlement and development but also in social acceptance. A prevailing perception among some Tamil groups is that Muslims “betrayed” them during the conflict. This perception fuels mistrust and undermines efforts at reconciliation which continues where Muslims are side lined in development programmes and community decision making. Among Tamil communities, there’s no clear understanding of why Muslims were expelled and even among Muslims there’s no full clarity. While Muslims and Tamils in the Northern Province often come together to celebrate religious and cultural festivals, these shared moments, although important, are not enough to foster genuine reconciliation. True healing cannot be achieved through symbolic gestures alone. It must come from within, built on sincere efforts to acknowledge past injustices, cultivate empathy and promote mutual understanding.
After 1990, some Muslims who went to Jaffna for business were kidnapped and disappeared. Some were reported to have been killed. To this day, no compensation has been given. A major obstacle to progress is the absence of political leadership representing Northern Muslims. With no voice in parliament, the community’s concerns remain unheard in national policymaking. Steps must be taken to establish a truly committed independent commission for Northern Muslims covering both the Northern province and Puttalam district to study and address the issues faced by Muslims.
Saratha Devi, an activist and member of the Batticaloa Peace Committee, has endured profound personal loss due to the war. Her husband was killed, her son disappeared and her son-in-law was left disabled. Despite these experiences, Saratha is unwavering in her pursuit of justice. When she is asked how she finds the strength to continue searching for justice and accountability in the face of such suffering, her answer is, “This pain gave me the courage to pursue justice…I wouldn’t wish on another woman the pain I endured after losing my husband. What I truly hope is for them to understand how we live in the aftermath of our losses, what our needs are and the pain that fills our days – pain from grieving, pain that society inflicts and pain dealt by the government. The deepest tragedy is that our pain doesn’t end with us. It’s passed on to the next generation.”
