SLA prevents Muslims from resettling in Chavakachcheri

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 27 April 2004, 16:51 GMT]
The Sri Lanka army has prevented Muslim refugees who came back recently to Chavakachcheri, the second largest town of the northern peninsula, from repairing and resettling in their war-destroyed homes, a spokesman for the returnees told TamilNet Tuesday. “We have been living in refugee camps in Puttalam for many years. I arrived with my family today, hoping to restart my life here in my hometown. But the military says that it won’t vacate my house. Where do I go?” asks Mr. Ismail Sultan, 38, a businessman.

Seven Muslim families that returned recently to reclaim their homes on Kachchai Road in Chavakachcheri town have found temporary shelter in the dilapidated local mosque.

The SLA occupies 25 houses belonging to Muslims on the Kachchai Road.

The returnees have begun to restart their businesses in the town. “Business is better for us in Jaffna than in Puttalam because this is our home. But we need our houses back to settle our families”, Mr. Sultan said.

Meanwhile, parents who visited a school in the SLA’s high security zone in Eluthumadduval said they can’t clear and reopen it because there are landmines in its premises.

The parents visited the Elthumadduval North Government Tamil Mixed School after the SLA agreed to reopen the school inside its high security zone.