Government engaged in Sinhalese colonization in Kokkaavil – Suresh Premachandran

[TamilNet, Thursday, 18 March 2010, 18:17 GMT]
Suresh Premachandran, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) former Jaffna parliamentarian and a TNA candidate contesting Jaffna electorate, accused Sri Lanka government of systematically colonizing Kokkaavil in Mullaiththevu district along A9 road with Sinhalese, in the TNA election campaign meeting held Thursday in Chuzhipuram-Tholpuram area, sources in Jaffna said. He also accused Sri Lanka Army (SLA) officers and soldiers of dismantling the vehicles abandoned by Vanni residents when they were driven to Mu’l’livaaikkaal and selling the parts in Vavuniyaa and Anuradapura making huge profit.

The relay tower of Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation is located in Kokkaavil and there is a large SLA base in the vicinity to guard the tower. Liberation Tigers had destroyed the earlier SLA base during the war.

Premachandran said that houses and a school are being constructed for the families of SLA officers and soldiers attached to Kokkaavil base which will be a full-fledged Sinhalese village with all the necessary facilities.

Premachandran revealed this shocking news adding to earlier disturbing information that SLA had converted Keappaapilavu area near Vattaappazhai in Mullaiththeevu district into a huge SLA base.

Many Sinhalese villages are said to be constructed in the above area, according to Suresh Premachandran.

He further said that when he raised the matter of SLA soldiers selling parts of the vehicles of Vanni IDPs with President Mahinda Rajapakse he had said that there were no such vehicles in Vanni.

But, Northern Province Governor, Maj. Gen. G. A. Chanrasiri, had recently said that Vanni IDPs will be allowed to go and see their vehicles which they had abandoned while fleeing to Mu’l’livaaikkaal, contradicting the President.

Premachandran added that the SLA officers are earning millions of rupees by selling the vehicles and parts of Vanni IDPs.

The resettled IDPs in Mullaiththeevu district are being constantly watched by SLA soldiers from high watch towers day and night and the IDPs cannot even answer calls of nature without being observed, Premachandran said.

Many TNA candidates including R. Sampanthan and Maavai Senathirajah attended the meeting.