Sinhalicisation of Jaffna disguised as resettlement

[TamilNet, Monday, 18 October 2010, 04:41 GMT]
Sinhala people from various parts of Sri Lanka brought into Jaffna peninsula by Sri Lanka government claiming resettlement has raised suspicion of Sinhalicisation in the name of resettlement among the residents of the peninsula, civil societies said in a message to local media Sunday. Sinhala and Muslim people who had resided in Jaffna peninsula before displacement are welcome to resettle providing they produce the legal documents for their properties in Jaffna peninsula, the message said. Attempting to encroach the lands near Sri Lanka Army (SLA) camps in the peninsula to settle Sinhala families will only lead to ethnic confrontations, the message further said.

In recent times SLA personnel have brought many Sinhala people to Jaffna who were not genuine residents of the peninsula. The families demand to be settled in Jaffna and are supported by the SLA authorities and Sri Lanka ministers.

The lands of the Tamils located near SLA camps which had been abandoned by the owners due to fear of the SLA are to be settled with the Sinhala families which have no legal rights to the said lands, the media message said.

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