Sinhala settlers claim ownership to Tamils' lands in Thiyaa-vadduvaan, Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 11 August 2015, 21:45 GMT]
The occupying Sri Lankan Military and Police in Batticaloa district are attempting to transfer a section of lands seized from Tamils at Koara'laip-pattu (Vaazhaich-cheani) division to Sinhala settlers, informed civil sources in Batticaloa told TamilNet. While Tamil landowners are still struggling to get released their lands, where were seized from them in 1990, Sinhalese persons have started to claim ownership to a section of lands at Thiyaavadduvaan in the division, the sources further said.

Maiyilang-karachchai is a village situated in Koara'laip-pattu Centre DS Division (Vaazhaich-cheanai). Tamils were chased out from this village in 1990 by a Muslim paramilitary group, which was collaborating with the occupying SL military at that time.

The lands that belonged to Muslim residents in the village have been fully handed over to the owners after the end of the war in 2007.

But, the SL military and police are still stationed in the lands and properties that belonged to the Tamil owners.

Under the SL military control, some of these lands have been transferred to the names of Sinhala owners from elsewhere in the island.

A Sinhalese settler, HLB Nandabala, has claimed ownership to a land currently used by the SL police at Mayilang-karachchai in Thiyaa-vadduvaan.