The Dove Keeper
Mohammed Yassin
Mohammed Yassin was expelled along with over five thousand other Muslim families from the Jaffna peninsula. He talks about the day that changed his life and his return to his hometown.
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All the Muslim people, you must leave Jaffna
On 30, October 1990 the LTTE announced for all the Muslims to come to the Jinnah grounds. So we went there about six thirty in the morning. An hour later, the LTTE’s Jaffna political leader, Ilamparathy, spoke to the crowd: “Within two hours, all the Muslim people must be ready to leave the Jaffna peninsula”.
Our Muslim leaders asked why. He replied that these were his leader’s orders. He said we couldn’t take any jewellery or cash with us. After the meeting I came home. I told my wife, but she didn’t believe me – she thought I was joking. So I asked her to check with the neighbours. She came back crying.
After two hours we went to the Five Junction meeting point. They searched everybody thoroughly, taking any jewellery or cash we had on us. They gave each family one thousand rupees then told us to go to the Manohara Theatre. We waited there for about six hours.
Then about five thirty they brought the minibuses and lorries to take us to Vavuniya. In each bus there were fifty or sixty people. We couldn’t talk, there were no meals, and getting a drink of water was very difficult.
Still we don’t know why we were chased out from Jaffna.” Only Anton Balasingham, Prabaharan, and Pottu Amman know.
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