Thursday, May 29, 2008

Sri Lanka Seeking Compensation for Makkah Property

Sri Lanka will seek compensation from the Saudi government for the Ceylon House in Makkah, which is marked for demolition to make room for the expansion of the Grand Mosque. The three-story building had been endowed by a Sri Lankan organization to house poor pilgrims from the island nation.

“We are afraid that the compensation, if any, will go to the building’s caretaker who had made subtle claims of ownership to the property,” said Petroleum Minister Abdul Hameed Mohamed Fowzie, who is visiting the Kingdom at the head of a special Haj delegation.

Fowzie said that the title deed for the property, which has a total area of 1,000 square feet, is with the Sri Lankan Embassy in Riyadh.

He added that the building was purchased for SR115,000 by the Colombo-based Sri Lankan Haj Pilgrims Welfare Trust in 1963. “This came after King Saud in 1960 granted permission to construct housing in Makkah for poor pilgrims from the island,” he said.

Read more,
http://www.arabnews.com/

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