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Sri Lanka Muslims Boycott Tsunami Aid Deal


Maithripala Sirisena, River Basin Development Minister (l) shows a copy of tsunami aid agreement as Finance Minister Sarath Amunugama looks on during a media conference in Colombo
Sri Lanka's main Muslim party says it will boycott a landmark tsunami aid-sharing deal between the government and Tamil rebels.

The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress said Saturday the plan to share the distribution of billions of dollars in aid does not include Muslims as equal partners.

Under the announced deal, the Colombo government and Tamil rebels will jointly handle billions of dollars in foreign aid for survivors of the December 26 tsunami that killed 31,000 and displaced one million people in Sri Lanka.

Most of the tsunami destruction was in the embattled north and east, much of which is dominated by the rebel Tamil Tigers. But Muslims say more than half the victims were from their community and, therefore, they should have a greater voice in aid distribution.

Some information for this report provided by AFP and AP.

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