Protest continues beyond two years at Keappaa-pulavu in Mullaith-theevu

[TamilNet, Sunday, 03 March 2019, 18:05 GMT]
The uprooted Eezham Tamils from Keappaa-pulavu village, located along the Nanthik-kadal lagoon in Mullaiththeevu, launched their continuous protest demanding the release of their lands two years ago on 01 March 2017. One hundred and thirty-eight families are still waging their continuous protest demanding 432 acres of their private lands and public properties such as schools, temple, church and a public hall to be released. The protesting people require de-militarisation of their village to resume their livelihood of fishing as well as agriculture in their fertile lands. The younger generation of Keappaa-pulavu Tamils demands the occupying Sinhala military to go home. They describe the presence of SL forces as illegal.



In December 2017, almost 302 days after commencing their continuous protest, the SL military released a pocket of 111 acres of lands with properties belonging to 28 families in Keappaa-pulavu and another pocket of 28 acres that belong to 17 families in the nearby Seeniyaa-moaddai.

The release of lands in December 2017 came only after the SL Ministry of Resettlement paid 148 million rupees of foreign aid to the SL military to relocate away from the occupied property.

However, the SL military did not vacate from any of the buildings it had constructed and continues to occupy the coastal stretch along the lagoon as well as the agricultural lands despite the SL Ministry transferring more money for relocation of the military base.



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