Ethnic Cleansing of Muslims from Muthur and Thoppur areas by LTTE.

Muslims in Muthur were given leaflets ordering to vacate their homes within two days similar to the forcible eviction of the Northern Muslims in 1990. More than 25,000 residents were forced to flee to the relative safety of Kantalai, a small town some 30km away.

The military quickly regained control of Muthur but Muslim IDPs languished for more than three weeks in inadequate shelters, before returning to their homes, many of them damaged or destroyed.

Disputed reports reveal that Muslims had apparently been assured of safe passage by the LTTE but near the hamlet of Panchanoor, they were stopped by LTTE cadres, who separated some 200 men from the women and children, apparently on suspicion that they were members of a “jihadi” group. Some were tied up, presumably pending execution. At this point, at least according to one report, an artillery barrage landed nearby, killing several people but allowing most of the captured Muslims to escape. Other sources claim that more than 100 men “disappeared” after this incident but there has been no conclusive investigation (ICG)