Colombo to seize more lands for militarisation of North

[TamilNet, Saturday, 20 September 2014, 22:43 GMT]
1,300 acres of lands are to be surveyed and seized by the SL military in Jaffna peninsula in the coming days, informed sources told TamilNet on Saturday. The lands belonging to Tamil people are to be seized in Maathakal, Achchuveali, Chavakachcheari, Nu’naavil and Thikkam. The SL military has already harassed the fishermen at Cheanthaan-ku’lam in Maathakal to vacate from their jetty and relocate their fishing tools as the land was to be surveyed, gazetted and seized for military expansion. On Friday, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) politicians, civic council members and Valikaamam North uprooted people’s organisation protested against an attempt to survey the lands in Maathakal. In the meantime, hundreds of acres of lands are being seized without any procedures in the Vanni mainland, Tamil activists in Mullaiththeevu said.

As people have been successfully blocking the survey department officials from surveying their lands in recent times, the survey department officials have been instructed by the SL military to survey the lands through ‘guerrilla style operations’ and complete surveying before the protestors get mobilized.

On Friday, the survey department officials, who were blocked by the protestors went on a fresh attempt to survey another locality at Koa’naava’lai. However, the protestors were quick to confront them at Koa’naava’lai.

Sri Lankan presidential sibling and defence secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa has instructed his military officers to do ‘whatever needed’ to accelerate the acquisition of lands for the expanding SL military, an informed EPDP source has said.

Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian Suresh Premachandran, who joined the protestors criticised the Colombo government and the occupying SL military. He said the SL government officials and the military would not be able to seize lands in the South as they do in the Northern and Eastern provinces.