SLA soldiers continue to plunder abandoned houses in Vadamaraadchi East

[TamilNet, Thursday, 22 July 2010, 17:35 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers continue to plunder the valuable properties abandoned by the uprooted residents of the coastal area from Naakarkoayil to Chu’ndikku’lam in Vadmaraadchi East, a team of officials which had visited the area recently said. Only Naakarkoayil and its surroundings had been affected by war while the people and their properties in the rest of the vast area had not been greatly affected as the war did not take place in their area. These people, uprooted when SLA began to invade Naakarkoayil and Mukamaalai during the offensive on Vanni, had fled leaving all their belongings. It is this area that is now being plundered by SLA soldiers and Southern traders allowed into the area by SLA authorities, the officials further said.

Meanwhile, SLA authorities do not permit the uprooted people to enter or resettle in in the above area claiming that it is infested with landmines.

De-mining organizations engaged in removing landmines, however, have described the area between Naakarkoayil and Chu’ndikku’lam as generally free of landmines.

SLA soldiers had plundered the most valuable goods abandoned by the uprooted civilians immediately after the end of war.

They had later stolen the beams, roof, doors and windows of the houses under the pretext of constructing their bases.

The officials who visited the above area said that the roof structures of schools rebuilt after tsunami disaster are totally missing.

The uprooted civilians, not allowed to resettle in their own properties by SLA, are now suffering in the camps in Jaffna and Vavuniyaa.