SL military targets Tamil grassroots activists in Mullaiththeevu, GS officer receives death threat

[TamilNet, Thursday, 13 June 2019, 22:45 GMT]
The occupying Colombo’s Army in Mullaiththeevu has issued death threat to an Eezham Tamil Village Officer (GS), K. Bede Jeyaharan on 06 May, a couple of days before SL President Maithiripala Sirisena visited Mullaiththeevu promoting Sinhala colonisation of the region. The GS officer said he was able to recognise the offenders as SLA soldiers, although they were wearing tinted glasses and were covering their faces with black clothes. The incident took place at Va'n'naag-ku'lam where the SLA soldiers, conducting a cordon and search operation, stopped the GS who was on his way to give tuition at a private education centre. As the masked soldiers turned him away from reaching the institution, a captain rank SLA officer arrived at the site and issued the death threat, the GS has complained to the SL Human Rights Commission office in Vavuniyaa.

The SLA soldiers and the officer were engaged in threatening the villagers against attending a protest organised by the families of enforced disappeared families.

The SLA was ‘suspecting’ the GS officer of being involved in backing the protesting women, rights activists in the district said.

Informed rights activists told TamilNet that the SLA was mainly targeting the GS after he had witnessed in support of two SL police officers who got assaulted by the SLA soldiers for not adhering the military instructions.

Previously, the SL military with sweeping police powers under the Emergency Regulations had assaulted two police officers who were riding in a motorbike in civilian clothes.

The SLA soldiers, harassing Mr Jeyaharan for 15 minutes, were prepared to assault him, even after he identified himself as a senior GS officer in the district. The people who mobilised to protect him were threatened away at gunpoint.

In the meantime, the SL military was exerting pressure on the SL Police to file cases against Mr V Navaneethan, a leading grassroots activist and a former UN field officer.

The SL military was selectively targeting the activists involved in organising protests against the Sinhala colonisation.

The SL President was visiting Mullaiththeevu to provide financial assistance to Sinhala colonists. Mr Sirisena inaugurated the irrigation project to promote ‘Sinhala Only’ colonisation of the ancient Tamil village of Aamaiyan-ku'lam, which has been absorbed into the Mahaweli L Scheme.

An overwhelming majority of Sinhala settlers were selected as the recipients of financial assistance at the event held on 08 May at the grounds of Puthuk-kudiyiruppu Divisional Secretariat.

The SL military is deployed at one Sinhala soldier per six civilians in the district.

However, the families of enforced disappeared braved the military harassments prevailing under the Emergency Regulations in stage a protest during the visit of the SL President.



Ms Mariyasuresh Easwary said the families were determined to carry on with their protest until justice is served. She is the coordinator of the families demanding the SL State and the UN system to establish the whereabouts of their kith and kin subjected to enforced disappearance at the hands of the SL military during the final days of the genocidal onslaught on Vanni in May 2009.



Eezham Tamils in the district have been protesting against the heritage and demographic genocide targeting Karai-thu'raip-pattu division of Mullaiththeevu district and the uprooted families in Keappaa-pulavau are staging a continuous protest for more than 800 days.

The SL military is also backing the controversial Sinhala-Buddhicisation of Neeraaviyadi in Chemmalai-East to the southeast of Naayaa'ru lagoon while encircling the Kokku'laay lagoon with the systematic installation of Sinhala Buddhist temples and stupas.





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Photos from the inauguration of the ‘Sinhala Only’ Aamaiyan-ku'lam irrigation project and maps illustrating the location of Aamaiyan-ku'lam follow:



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