COLOMBO, June 16: Demanding the resignation of Muslim government ministers, the main opposition, the United National Party (UNP), has criticised the government for not taking action to stop the abduction of Muslim businessmen.

Threatening to take up the issue with the diplomats of Muslim countries, UNP parliamentarian Kabir Hashim told a media conference that a large number of Muslim businessmen were leaving the country in fear because of the growing trend of abductions.

“Muslim ministers should resign from their posts if they couldn’t take up the issue with President Mahinda Rajapakse,” Hashim said, while UNP Colombo district parliamentarian Mohamed Maharoof said the party would give the government two weeks notice to resolve the issue.

“If it is not resolved by then we would take to the streets against this lawlessness,” Maharoof said.

Nearly 150 persons have disappeared in the recent past with some of them wealthy businessmen, including Muslims.

Meanwhile, Amnesty International secretary-general Irene Khan has urged President Mahinda Rajapakse to invite the United Nations to set up a strong human rights field operation in Sri Lanka in a bid to end the human rights crisis in the country.

“A climate of fear dominates Sri Lanka, with human rights activists and journalists threatened, attacked, intimidated, harassed and killed. Even humanitarian workers have not been immune,” a press statement by Amnesty International said.

“Over the past year, over 1,000 people are believed to have been ‘disappeared’ and another over 1,000 unlawfully killed. Civilians have been killed by indiscriminate artillery bombardments, Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) suicide bombings and reprisal killings.