Sinhala-Buddhist land grab threatens Muslims at Thoappoor in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Saturday, 19 July 2014, 23:46 GMT]
The divisional secretary of Serunuwara in Trincomalee district has issued letters to more than 35 Tamil-speaking Muslim families to vacate their lands at Naavatkaadu (Selvanakar) village near Thoappoor. The Muslim families are residing in the lands with necessary papers for decades and they have engaged in agriculture in the lands since 1960. However, Colombo’s officials claim that 85 acres of lands were taken over by the SL State and declared as ‘Arachaeological Reserve’ already in 1962. Now the Muslims have been given instructed to vacate from their lands before August 30.

The divisional secretary, who is a Sinhalese, claims that he had issued the notice under a 1980 Act for 49 acres of ‘State lands’.

When Muslim representatives protested against the move, the divisional secretary was promising not to force those having houses, but was insisting that agricultural lands and other non-residential lands should be handed over.

The vihara at the vicinity is referred as ‘Chinna Vikaarai’ (the little vihara) by the residents. It is situated in a 4-acre land.

Colombo is trying to seize around 600 acres surrounding the largest vihara, known as Seruwawila Rajamaha Vihara, situated in Seruwila.

The Rajamaha vihara is claimed as one of the 16 holiest Buddhist Shrines in the island by the Sinhalese and the area surrounding it is to be transformed into a Sinhala township.

Sinhala Buddhist monks maintain that there were 3 viharas in the surroundings of the Rajamaha or Tissa vihara.

According to them, the Seruwila vihara was built in 2nd Century BC enshrining the forehead relic of Gautama Buddha.

Ramzan Anwar, a Muslim Congress councillor in the opposition of the Eastern Provincial Council told TamilNet this week that the move was another step in making the Trincomalee district a Sinhala-majority district.

 

Latest 15 Reports
21.09.24 16:12   Photo
JVP always denied Eezham Tamils’ inalienable self-determination: Anthropology scholar
18.09.24 21:30   Photo
Sinhala leftists need careful perusal of Lenin’s definition of Right to Self-Determination
30.08.24 15:27   Photo
Viraj exposed West’s criminalization of Tamil struggle
30.08.24 09:08  
‘பொதுச்சபை’ நகர்வை ‘சிவில் சமூக அமையம்’ தரும் படிப்பினைகளின் கண்கொண்டு நோக்குதல்
20.08.24 17:59   Photo
Viraj teaches Zone of Peace, Peace Process, Crimes Against Peace
18.08.24 21:23   Photo
Viraj Mendis: A beacon of international solidarity and a pillar in the Eelam-Tamil liberation struggle
18.08.24 16:47   Photo
Viraj in Tamil Radical Politics
18.08.24 11:27  
மூலோபாயத்தையும் தந்திரோபாயத்தையும் தொலைத்த தேர்தல் அரசியலைத் திருத்த இயலுமா?
17.08.24 12:15   Photo
விராஜ் மெண்டிஸ் விட்டுச் செல்லும் நிரப்பவியலா இடைவெளி
04.02.24 15:40   Photo
சியோனிசம் காணும் தோல்வி ஈழத்தமிழருக்குப் பலன் தரவல்ல படிமை மாற்றத்தின் அறிகுறி
24.04.22 05:44  
தீவின் நெருக்கடிச் சூழலில் ஈழத்தமிழர் தேசம் கடைப்பிடிக்கவேண்டிய நிலைப்பாடுகள்
09.04.22 14:44   Photo
குறிதவறும் ஈழத்தமிழர் தலைமைகளுக்கு வரலாறு தருகின்ற எச்சரிக்கை
21.01.22 07:24   Photo
ஈழத்தமிழர் தேசத்தின் தலைமைத்துவம் தேர்தல் அரசியற் கட்சிகளுக்கு அப்பாலானது
02.11.21 15:32   Photo
13 ஆம் சட்டத்திருத்தத்தால் கட்டமைக்கப்பட்ட இன அழிப்பை எதிர்கொள்ள முடியுமா?
15.09.21 08:19  
English version not available
 
Find this article at:
http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=37306