Champoor Tamils prepare to launch protest after civic elections

[TamilNet, Saturday, 10 February 2018, 14:08 GMT]
Grassroots organisations of the resettled people of Champoor have decided to launch a protest campaign after the civic elections are over, the representatives of the community organisations said. The occupying SL Navy has seized thousands of acres of agricultural lands. Similarly, the SL Board of Investment and the Ceylon Electricity Board are still engaged in fencing off lands that were seized earlier for the controversial coal power plant, which has been abandoned. But, the land-owners have not been provided alternative lands as promised by the SL authorities. In the meantime, Sinhala Buddhist extremist monks have been triggered by the SL military intelligence to occupy the worship sites of Eezham Tamils using the clauses of the SL constitution, which accords foremost place to Buddhism.

The representatives of the grassroots and community organisations in Champoor said they were inspired by the continuous struggle of Keappaa-pulavu people in Mullaiththeevu.

The ITAK hierarchy, particularly the Opposition Leader Mr R Sampanthan, have completely failed to demand the Colombo Establishment to hand back the agricultural lands of Champoor Tamils.

The Tamil leaders have been silenced by the foreign powers that collaborate with the ruling establishments in Colombo, the activists in Champoor said.

The US Pacific Command is directly involved in upgrading the SL Navy with a marine force through military-to-military training in Trincomalee.

SL President Maithiripala Sirisena has stepped up Sinhala militarisation through upgrading the 178 acres of SL Naval base in Champoor into a 3,200 acres of modern training base of the occupying SL Navy.

As a first step demanding alternative residential and agricultural lands, the organisations are to draft a letter that would be addressed to the SL President and to the Opposition Leader with copies that would be forwarded to SL Governor to Eastern Province, the provincial Land Commissioner and to the Divisional Secretary of Moothoor.

The appeal would be sent after the civic elections. If there is no proper response within a given timeframe, the people would launch a big protest, the representatives of the grassroots organisations told TamilNet.

Related Articles:
07.12.17   US Pacific Command complicit in Colombo’s structural genocid..


Chronology: