Batticaloa Court orders removal of ineligible occupants in Muslim colony

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 19 October 2010, 16:55 GMT]
Batticaloa District Court ordered the Secretary of Ma’nmunaipattu to immediately remove all who are not eligible reside in the Muslim Colony for tsunami victims established in 2004 in the lands of Tamils by M. L. A. M. Hisbulla when he was the Minister of Post and Telecommunication during former Sri Lanka President Chandrika Kumaranatunge with funds from Kuwait government. The owners of the land encroached for the Muslim colony had filed petition against the Muslim colonization scheme and M. L. A. M. Hisbulla who is a Deputy Minister in the ruling United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) now. Directed by the court, the Secretary of Ma’nmunaippattu, Ms. Pathmarajah had written to the ineligible occupants to vacate before 11 November.

Minister Hisbulla, exploiting his political power, had given houses to 43 families not affected by tsunami in the above housing scheme that was meant only for tsunami victims in 2004.

The Muslim colony had been established in the name of housing scheme for tsunami victims in Manchchanththouduvaay village officer area in Ma’nmuniappattu Nortn Divisional Secretary area by Minister Hisbulla.

Only 27 persons affected by tsunami were given houses in the scheme while the rest were given houses according to Minister Hisbulla’s instructions. The housing scheme named ‘Kuwait City’ had been handed over the residents in 2007 by Hisbulla who is now a Deputy Minister of Child Development and Women’s Affairs.

Batticaloa District Magistrate directed the Divisional Secretary to immediately identify the persons genuinely affected by tsunami and to submit a report to the court and to evacuate the others within a month.

Meanwhile, Deputy minister Hisbulla is now engaged in activities to establish a Muslim colony in the lands of Tamils in Kaangkeayan Oadai, Keechchaan Pa’l’lam Ollikku’lam and Ma’nmunai which come under Aarayampathi Local Government Body and located on the boundary of Kaaththaankudi, a traditional Muslim area.

The Muslin colony named ‘The Village of Peace’ is to be constructed with Iran government’s fund claiming to settle families affected by war.

Appeals made to the Iranian Government, Sri Lanka ministers Hisbulla, Muralitharan, Chandrakanthan and government officials to stop the scheme immediately have been ignored, Mahendran, the Secretary of Aaraiyampathi Social Development Organization, said.

The construction of The Village of Peace would create clashes between the Tamil and Muslim communities instead of creating peace, he added.