Local officials harass war widows in Batticaloa district

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 13 April 2011, 11:26 GMT]
War widows with their children residing alone in the border villages of Batticaloa district are still being intimidated and harassed by some village level officers of the Sri Lanka’s government led by President Mahinda Rajapakse, according to local civil sources. Responsible local government officials and non-governmental organizations are turning blind eye to complaints made by affected war-widows, civil sources say.

One of the war widows Meharajah Gnaneswary, mother of three children, was threatned by a village level officer (VLO) K.T.Sugathathasa for making a complaint against him to his superior officers and the Regional Office of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) for blocking the relief provided by the NECCDEP and the Department of Social Services.

Gnaneswary is a resident of 35th colony of Kannakipuram GS division in Vellaveli DS division in Batticaloa district.

NECCDEP provided a house and 1400 tiles to roof the house to her. But the VLO Sugathathasa did not hand over the tiles to her. The Department of Social Services allocated twenty thousand rupees to her as livelihood assistance. But Mr.Sugathathasa gave her a cow and a calf for the amount Rs: 20,000. She brought the injustice done to her to the Vellaveli DS and the Batticaloa regional office of the SLRCS.

Last week the VLO Mr.Sugathathasa went to her house and handed over a sum of Rs: 2000 to Gnaneswary and threatned her not to make further complaint against him.

The DS and Batticaloa office of the SLRCS have also failed to take any steps regarding her complaint.