Colonisation in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Thursday, 25 June 1998, 23:59 GMT]
An illegal colonisation of Sinhalese, backed by the Sri Lankan Army and Police is taking place in areas between the native Tamil villages of Kurankup Paalam and Vilankulam in the Trincomalee district, on the Trincomalee-Colombo road, said sources in the eastern port town of Trincomalee.

The sources said that the Sinhala people have illegally encroached land between 240th and 250th mile post on the left side of road.

Meanwhile, leader of the Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP) Mr. Douglas Devananda has appealed to the Sri Lankan President, Mrs. Chandrika Kumaratunge, to take immediate steps to stop this illegal colonisation.

"Such continuing colonisations will block any efforts to find a political solution to the ethnic conflict", said Mr. Devananda in his appeal to the President.

The Sri Lankan army has created and sustained many Sinhala colonies in several parts of the predominantly Tamil eastern province, particularly in the Trincomalee district, since 1983 by driving out Tamils from their traditional villages in those areas, and this has dramatically altered the demography of the region.

One of the largest largest network of such Sinhala settlements established by the Sri Lankan army in Tricomalee is in Thennamaravaadi, in the northern end of the Trincomalee district.

Thousands of Tamil residents were forcibly driven out from the large old village of Thennamaravaadi almost overnight by the Sri Lankan army in 1984.