Devananda circumvents court order, manipulates Jaffna fishers to allow poachers from South

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 24 June 2020, 23:36 GMT]
Former Tamil paramilitary operative Kathiravelu Nithiyanada Devananda alias Douglas has hijacked several fisheries cooperative societies in Jaffna using his political power. Mr Devananda is the SL Minister of Fisheries in the “caretaker” cabinet of Rajapaksa regime. The EPDP leader is deploying the hijacked organisations to suppress the Tamil fishers in Jaffna who oppose exploitative and environmentally destructive sea cucumber poaching. The SL Minister is engineering violation of court orders issued two years ago, grassroots activists in Jaffna complain. Devananda has also manipulated a church to back the controversial move.

The administration of the Point-Pedro Twon GS Division Fishermen’s Co-operative Society has provided a letter to Fisheries authorities in Jaffna. The letter states that the cooperative society was allowing Colombo-based Suganth International (Pvt) Ltd to operate 30 outboard engines to catch sea cumber and conch shells within the area of Koddadi.

Similarly, Uthayasooriyan Fishermen’s Co-operative Society in Thumpa'lai East, Point-Pedro, has also issued a document. It claims that Puththa'lam-based A.R.I Sea Foods (Pvt) Ltd was allowed to collect sea cucumbers and conch shells deploying divers who dive with cylinders. The letter further states that the company was not allowed to catch gourd-shaped sea cucumbers as the local fishers collected those.

In the meantime, the parish priest of St Philip Neri’s Church at Chempianpattu, along with the secretary and the treasurer of the pastoral administration, has agreed to provide the coastal area of the church to a local fisheries association, Kudaarappu Kaar-meal Maathaa Rural Fisheries Association, to catch export-oriented sea-cucumber and Chank (conch shells).

The pastoral administration was indirectly leasing its property to be used by the encroachers from the South.

The letter provided by the pastoral administration reveals that it expected funds, which would be used for the construction work of the church.

The association has provided another letter to the encroachers stating that they were “allowed” by the local population to engage in sea cucumber collection. The documents issued by the association mention company names Y.S.N Enterprises, MM Enterprises, Evergreen Farm, amongst others.

Naakar-koayil West Fishermen’s Co-operative Society has issued a letter stating that a company named Chris C. Jude, was allowed to operate 15 boats within the lands of P. Thavakumar and that the association had “no objections” to the activity.





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