2ND LEAD (Correction)

Gotabhaya appropriates whole village in Mannaar

[TamilNet, Thursday, 27 December 2012, 15:53 GMT]
An entire Eezham Tamil village, Mu’l’lik-ku’lam in the Musali division of Mannaar district, has been declared out of bounds for its uprooted residents by SL defence Secretary and presidential sibling Gotabhaya Rajapaksa visiting the village on Wednesday. The entire village will be used for a military base of the occupying Sinhala forces and to serve as a hub for the Sinhalicisation and Colonisation process of the land and waters of the strategic locality in the Mannaar district. Nobody would be allowed to resettle within a perimeter of 750 meters of the Mu’l’likku’lam village, Gotabhaya said at a meeting held at the SL Naval Base established there on Wednesday between 10:30 am and 1:30 pm.

The ‘conference’ was attended by Archbishop of Colombo Rt Rev Dr Malcolm Ranjith, Bishop of Mannaar Rt Rev Dr Rayappu Joseph, Ravindra Silva, the Sinhala Government Agent of Mannaar, K.Ketheesvaran, the divisional secretary of Musali and the commanding officers of the occupying Sinhala Army in Mannaar and Vavuniyaa.

The villagers, displaced from Musali, have been temporarily staying in Peasaalai, Thaazhvup-paddu, Keeri and in Thalaimannaar and have been subjected to various harassments by the SL military throughout the last five years.

A section of the uprooted people from Mu'l'lik-ku'lam attempted to enter their lands six months ago. Some of the families have been residing at Kaayaang-kudi and at Malang-kaadu.

Now it is learnt that 450 acres, at the rate of half an acre per family, have been allotted for these people to resettle away from the village. They have been informed that they could visit schools and religious places but not to their abandoned houses in Mu'l'likku'lam.

After the SLN camp meeting was over, Gotabhaya held discussions with members of the public assembled there. At the discussion some of them have consented to accept alternative lands leaving their own lands in Mu'l'likku'lam.

More than 4,500 civilians were forced to flee Mu'l'likku'lam and surrounding villages in the Musali division in September 2007.

Since their eviction, the people of Mu'l'likku'lam have been continuously protesting and demanding return to their village for resettlement. They have been appealing to the SL authorities for five years. The ruling UPFA politicians have been neglecting all their demands. 


Chronology: