Administrative divisions manipulated to wedge Tamils, Muslims in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Monday, 14 January 2013, 23:49 GMT]
A former minister of ruling UPFA government and a councillor of the Eastern Provincial Council (EPC) Amir Ali Shihabdeen and SL Deputy Minister Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan of SLFP and Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan of TMVP in the UPFA who is also a councilor at the EPC have given their consent to changes in the administrative divisions of Vaakarai DS division, Koa’ralaip-pattu Centre DS division and Koa’ralaippattu West DS division, news sources in Batticaloa said. The latest move of annexing villages from Tamil dominated Vaakarai division with Muslim dominated Koa’ra’laip-pattu Centre and Ko’a’ralaippattu West, aims at reducing Tamil representation and contributes to uneven development by seeking to upgrade Muslim dominated divisions in civic governance, say Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians from Batticaloa.

TNA Parliamentarian Mr P. Selvarasa has condemned the SL government for making decisions in Colombo without listening to all sections of the people in the district.

Muslims dominate the divisions of Koa’ralaip-pattu Centre and Koa’ra’laip-pattu West. Vaakarai division is predominantly Tamil.

Koa’ra’laippattu Centre division was created in 2008.

12,500 acres of lands, comprising Oamadiyaamadu, Paalampak-kea’ni, Aalang-ku’lam, Puvanesapuram, Mealaa’nda-ku’lam, Rithi-thenna and Jayanthiyaaya in Pu’naa’nai East (211B GS division) of Vaakarai DS Division are being annexed with Koa’ralaip-pattu Centre DS division in Batticaloa district.

At the same time, lands belonging to 610 families in villages Ku’laththumadu, Kudaamunaik-kal, Ku’lavaal-cheanai and Peddaik-ku’lam of 210 GS division of Kiraan DS division, and lands belonging to 240 families in 210E GS division comprising the villages of Pu’naa’nai, Mayilanthanai, Chaa’lampaich-cheanai, Mu’l’li-vaddavaan and Pu’naa’nai bund, are to be annexed with Koa’ralaippattu West DS division.