Colombo resumes surveying of lands for Sinhala colonisation in interior Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 29 July 2020, 18:26 GMT]
Officials claiming to be from SL Forest Department and Mahaweli Authority have been surveying of pasture lands in Mayilaththa-madu this week. The process was resumed despite repeated objections from the dairy farmers belonging to all three communities, said Seenithamby Nimalan, the chairman of Mayilaththamadu Dairy Farmers Association. “Those involved in the surveying of lands say they belong to SL Forest Department. Sometimes they also claim to be from SL Mahaweli Authority. They say the surveyed lands would be transferred to Sinhala settlers who are agricultural farmers,” Mr Nimalan said.

There are also Muslims and Sinhalese among the dairy farmers who are dependent on cattle herding in Mayilaththamadu pasturelands. Bringing Sinhala agricultural settlers from outside would not only cause ethnic tensions but also affect the livelihood of dairy farmers of all communities that wish to co-exist peacefully along the border of Batticaloa district, he said.



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