2ND LEAD

Colombo plans to settle 25,000 Sinhala families in Batticaloa district

[TamilNet, Sunday, 11 November 2012, 23:42 GMT]
The Sri Lankan government with the assistance of occupying Sri Lanka Army and the paramilitary politicians, has been implementing a scheme to settle down about twenty five thousand Sinhala families in the Batticaloa district in the eastern province, informed sources in Batticaola said. More than 5,000 Sinhala families brought from south have been settled down along 16 km coastal area from Paasik-kudaa in Koa'ralaippattu DS division to Chavukkadi in Ea'raavoorpattu (Chengkaladi) DS division.

Colombo has appropriated lands of Eezham Tamils for Sinhala colonisation to the west and east of Batticaloa city with the assistance of former Chief Minister of the Eastern Provincial Council Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan and Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan, a deputy minister in the UPFA.

Meanwhile, the number of Sinhala families, who have encroached the lands that have been allocated for pasture in Periya-maa-thavaa'nai in Koa'ralaippattu South DS division, has increased from 300 to 450, according to Tamil farmers engaged in animal husbandry. Sinhala persons coming from Dehiyattakanadiya in Ampaa'rai district enter the lands in the name of doing maize cultivation on a temporary basis, but settle down there claiming ownership to the lands with the support of the SL military.

When the issue was taken up at a discussion with the team of civil officials led by the Sri Lankan Government Agent in Batticaloa, a Brigadier level commander of the occupying SL military in the area gave assurances, as usual, that no Sinhalese would encroach lands belonging to Tamils in the area. But, the encroachment continues with the active support by the SL military, Tamil families complained.

The SL commander now says that he could not stop encroachment by the Sinhalese as it takes place with the backing of influential government politicians and that the responsibility of taking action is with the SL Government Agent.

In Mangalagama area in Ea'raavoorpattu (Chengkaladi) DS division, unidentified groups kill cattle and steal calves that belong to Tamils. The SL police in the area disregard complaints by the affected Tamils.

In the meantime, Sinhalese encroachers who area occupying western sides of Koa'ralaipattu South, Vellaave'li, Paddippazhai and Ea'raavoorpattu DS divisions along the border of the two districts have issued ‘warnings’ to Tamils that these areas have come under the administrative district of Ampaa'rai.

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