EPC acts as agent of Colombo in harassing Champoor Tamils: Thurairatnam

[TamilNet, Monday, 19 September 2011, 05:54 GMT]
Eastern Provincial Council (EPC) led by Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan in the capacity of its chief minister has been assisting the Colombo government in harassing uprooted Eezham Tamils of Champoor now being held in so-called temporary welfare centres in Ki'liveddi, Ma'natcheanai, Mallikaith-theevu and Kaddai-pa'richchaan, alleged Mr.R.Thurairatnam, an opposition EPC councillor. He appealed to EPC administration to allocate a day to debate Champoor resettlement issue, as uprooted people are not in favour to be resettled in alternate lands other than in their original traditional Tamil villages.

The people of Champoor, after they were evicted from their own villages, were first held in refugee camps in Batticaloa district for a period of three years.

Later they were shifted to the so-called welfare centres in Moothoor East in Trincomalee district, but not allowed to resettle in their own villages by the Colombo government under the pretext that their villages have been declared ‘high security zone’.

The EPC has failed to fulfil the needs of Champoor uprooted, Mr. Thurairatnam has blamed while demanding a full day debate on the issue.

The people of Champoor were uprooted from their villages following intensive Sri Lanka Air Force aerial bombardment and indiscriminate shelling by Sri Lanka Army that adopted an scorched-earthy policy in seizing the territory from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in 2006.

Thurairatnam, the Batticaloa district organizer of EPRLF (Varathar), also demanded the EPC administration to dissolve its Provincial Resettled Department instead of maintaining it without serving IDPs in the district.

He asked the EPC administration what action it has taken in regard to the resettlement of Champoor IDPs and to find ways and means to fulfil their urgent needs.

“Is it fair to ask the Champoor uprooted people who were owners of fertile lands in their traditional villages to occupy alternate lands that are considered barren by the government?” he asked.

Mr.Thurairatnam made the above accusation while addressing the monthly meeting of the EPC last week.

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