4 March 2021 03:07 pm
Fisheries Minister Douglas Devananda said, the Iranativu area is not a suitable place to bury the bodies of Muslim COVID-19 victims and requested the President and the Premier to consider alternative areas.
A statement from the Ministry said the Minister brought the matter to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa's attention that the recent decision of the government to bury the bodies of COVID-19 victims in the Iranaithivu Islands had caused unrest among the people of the northern province.
The Minister said that large number of people are living in the island with the sailors stationed their for naval patrolling.
He also said the decision would hamper all those projects, which the government has been anticipating to receive more than US$ 25 million in foreign exchange through the recently launched project on Iranaithivu Sea cucumber export village.
Minister said, the President and the Prime Minister promised to consider alternative arrangemnts.
The Minister expressed confidence that the final decision would be taken by the Government in a manner that would not harm the sentiments of the minority community.