COLOMBO: The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), the main political party representing the country’s seven per cent Muslim population, on Sunday unveiled proposals to safeguard the rights of Muslims in the northeast of the country.

The party said it has recommended a ‘non-contiguous administrative unit’ merging Muslim-dominated areas in the north and east.

It is also set to push for an addendum to the Ceasefire Agreement, with clauses for a ‘multi-ethnic rapid response mechanism’ to intervene in incidents of violence against Muslims by LTTE.

“The Muslims need autonomy in the eastern province where they are a majority in certain areas, just as the LTTE wants autonomy for the Tamils in the Tamil dominated areas in the northeast,” Rauf Hakeem, the leader of the SLMC, told Dawn.