Compensation sought for Mutur victims

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 06 December 2000, 14:41 GMT]
The majority of the Tamils who lost their houses and other properties during the violence in Mutur in 1985 and 1990 have not been paid any compensation by the State, states a memorandum sent to the Minister of Reconstruction, Reconstruction and Rural Housing, Ms Ferial Ashraff.

In the memorandum to the Minister, the author, Mr.S.Gunanayagam, stated that some of the affected people had obtained compensation through the influence of government officials and politicians. But the majority of the Tamils affected by the violence in 1985 and 1990 are still awaiting compensation, he claimed.

Mr.Gunanayagam is a former Chairman of the now defunct Kaddaiparichchan Village Council and a Justice of Peace. He is a leading social worker in the area.

Under the new People's Alliance government, Minister Ferial Ashraff has allegedly taken steps to pay compensation promptly to families and people affected by violence. Taking this into consideration, Mr.Gunanayagam claims to have written to her to notify her of the delay in paying compensation to families affected by the violence in 1985 and 1990 in the Muttur division.

Mr.Gunanayagam pointed out to the Minister that a teacher, M.Sundararajah of Kaddaiparichchan, who lost his two houses in the 1990 violence has not been paid a single cent as compensation. For the last ten years he has been fighting with the authorities to obtain compensation, says the memorandum.

Mr.Gunanayagam has requested the Minister to look into the situation of the affected Tamils in the Muttur area and to provide compensation as promptly as possible.