Tamil villagers fear Sinhalicisation of South Bar in Mannaar

[TamilNet, Monday, 08 September 2014, 19:25 GMT]
The officials of the occupying Sri Lanka have been harassing 8 uprooted Tamil families to vacate from their huts at the village of Shanthi-puram, situated in South Bar GS division of Mannaar DS division. The officials, under the instruction of Sinhala Government Agent of Mannaar District, have claimed that the land has been allocated for the construction of Buddhist vihara.

The families have refused to vacate the fertile land, where they have established their livelihood with access to water. The families have been residing in huts amongst useful trees in the public land for 10 years.

The people living in Shanthipuram Tamil village complain that the construction of Buddhist vihara is aimed at Sinhalicisation and Sinhala colonization of South Bar.

As fishermen from South use to compete with the Tamils in seasonal fishing in the seas off South Bar, the Sinhalicisation of the locality will have a dangerous impact affecting the livelihood of Tamils, the villagers complain.

The genocidal Sri Lankan State is also scheming Buddhist temples along the reconstructed rail route with an aim of Sinhalicising the entire railway infrastructure, Tamil civil officials say.