Tamil land-owners suppressed from mobilising against ethnic land-grab in Thiriyaay

[TamilNet, Saturday, 15 June 2019, 23:37 GMT]
The present SL Government Agent (District Secretary) of Trincomalee district, NAA Pushpakumara, as well as his predecessor Major General (retd) Ranjit de Silva, both Sinhalese, have transferred more than 300 acres of fertile lands of Eezham Tamils to Sinhala politicians and officials. The Divisional Secretary serving under them has been forced to subject the properties for long-term lease, said M. Konesan, the chairman of Thiriyaay Farmers’ Organisation.

Most of the initial land grab has taken place during the regime of Rajapaksa.

Initially, the SL military was refusing the resettled Tamils to access their agricultural lands. Then, the SL Forest Department, claiming these lands as coming under its purview, was blocking the people from entering the grounds. Finally, the previous GA transferred these lands to Sinhala politicians, officials or their benamis.



The resettled Tamils, who have lost their fertile lands, are caught in poverty, and they are suppressed from mobilising against the injustice.

The successive SL GAs have also suppressed the Divisional Secretary from addressing the complaints against the illegal seizure.

The Divisional Secretary of Kuchchave'li is a Tamil, who knows the concerns of the original land-owners.

However, the DS has been unable to revert these illegal transfers to the original owners due to pressure from the current District Secretary, Mr Konesan said.



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