Changkilian Force threatens officials to stop Jaffna census activity

[TamilNet, Thursday, 28 February 2008, 15:53 GMT]
Jaffna Government Agent (GA), Regional and Divisional Secretaries and officials involved in taking census in Jaffna peninsula have received warning notices signed by Changkilian Padai (Force) asking them to stop all census taking immediately, sources in Jaffna said. The note said that the census effort was launched by the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) with hidden military motives, and warned that failure to comply will result in drastic actions.

In 1998 and 2000, attempts to take census in Jaffna peninsula had stalled due to similar warnings by Changkilian Force.

The GoSL is conducting the special census only in the north and east of Sri Lanka to reduce the facilities provided to people on the basis of population statistics and for other sinister military motives, the letters to the above officials said.

The notice also mentioned that Changkilian Force had already warned officials not to engage in census taking activities in September 2007.

If you are compelled by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and the police to take census you have to resign your posts, the warning notice said.

Census taking in Jaffna peninsula which had been stopped half-way was resumed a week ago on the orders of Jaffna GA.

Census officials, assisted by Village Officers and guarded by SLA and police, have been visiting each house in their are to collect particulars.

Major part of the census has been covered, Jaffna Secretariat sources said.

Census officials have been forced into a difficult predicament with pressure from the SLA and police in Jaffna peninsula to carry out the census, and threats from Changkilian Force to stop census activity, civil society sources in Jaffna said.