Eezham Tamils at Thennai-maravadi face renewed threats from Sinhala military

[TamilNet, Friday, 22 January 2016, 17:20 GMT]
While SL President Maithiripala Sirisena’s Mahaweli ‘Development’ Ministry is engaged in appropriating vast tracts of fertile lands along the coastal and interior villages in the country of Eezham Tamils, the occupying Sinhala military of genocidal Sri Lanka is being continuously deployed against the resettled Tamil villagers at their traditional village of Thennai-maravadi, situated on the border of Trincomalee district of the Eastern Province and Mullaith-theevu district of the Northern Province. The huts provided by the UNHCR to the resettling people were destroyed by six Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers on January 01 around 11:30 p.m. 21 days have passed since the violent act, the SL police has not taken any action against the illegal and violent act by the Sinhala soldiers, Tamil villagers told TamilNet on Thursday.

The Sinhala soldiers armed with automatic rifles were also carrying knives and axes, reminding the Tamil villagers of the massacres of 1980s in the past.

The SL police was initially reluctant to visit and inspect the site of the attack on the New Year Day.

185 Tamil families have resettled in temporary huts provided by the UNHCR amidst severe lack of health and education facilities. They have to travel at least 20 km to access such facilities.

The Tamil villagers have admitted their children to Tamil schools in Mu'l'liya-va'lai of Mullaiththeevu district in the Northern Province. Those traveling across the provincial borders complain also of SL military harassment.

Several acres of fertile lands belonging to Eezham Tamils have already been seized by the Sinhala colonisers. The Sinhala military, giving protection to the intruders, is also occupying the Pi'l'laiyaar temple of Tamils in the village.



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